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NOVEL 


BY 

MORTON  GRINNELL,  M.  D. 


NEW  YORK 
FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


COPYRIGHT,  1899, 
BY  FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

JACK  OSWALD  was  swearing  gently  at  his  white 
tie,  which  declined  to  come  together  properly.  His 
rooms  at  the  Beaverwyck  were  very  comfortable 
without  being  luxurious.  Their  arrangement 
showed  a  cosmopolitan  taste  and  gave  evidence  of 
foreign  travel.  Family  pictures  were  mingled  with 
those  of  footlight  favourites.  Over  the  divan  hung 
a  Turkish  canopy  surrounded  with  odds  and  ends 
of  weapons  from  divers  lands :  An  assegai  from 
South  Africa  with  an  axe  from  Lapland.  A  Jap 
anese  scimitar  crossed  a  modern  cavalry  sword,  and 
groups  of  firearms  were  arranged  on  either  side 
of  the  fireplace.  An  Arabesque  stand,  with  brass 
tray,  held  an  outfit  for  making  Turkish  coffee,  and 
on  the  side-table  was  a  miscellaneous  assortment 
of  pipes.  A  Chibouque  from  Constantinople,  an 
opium  pipe  from  the  Orient,  and  a  Nargileh  from 
the  banks  of  the  Nile.  All  around  and  about  were 
evidences  of  bachelor  carelessness  regarding  general 
arrangements  and  clothes. 


2  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

Jack  Oswald  was  what  in  common  parlance  is 
called  a  man  about  town,  and  his  life  was  that  of 
many  men  of  means  and  education.  His  father  had 
left  him  a  generous  fortune.  His  mother  had  died 
when  he  was  a  child.  Oswald  had  graduated  from 
Yale,  and  at  college  was  counted  among  the  most 
popular  men.  He  had  sung  on  the  Glee  Club,  had 
been  one  of  the  Junior  Prom.  Committee  and 
played  tennis  and  golf  above  the  average.  He  had 
made  a  senior  society,  and  we  find  him  four  years 
after  graduation  a  member  of  the  brokerage  firm  of 
Oswald  &  Van  Beuren.  In  the  morning  he  would 
appear  at  the  office  at  a  quarter  before  ten,  go  to 
the  Exchange  for  the  opening  and  to  execute  his 
orders,  at  one  o'clock  he  would  go  to  the  Down 
Town  Club,  take  lunch  with  Ernest  Balford  or  his 
partner,  and  after  the  board  closed  would  either 
walk  up  town  or  take  the  elevated  road  to  Twenty- 
third  Street,  thence  stroll  through  Madison  Square 
to  his  Club.  A  drink  or  two,  with  a  game  of  back 
gammon  or  pool,  brought  the  dressing  hour  and 
dinner. 

Oswald  dined  out  four  or  five  nights  in  a  week,  as, 
owing  to  his  bright  and  cheerful  disposition  and 
attractive  personality,  he  was  a  general  favourite  and 
in  great  demand.  When  he  was  free  from  engage 
ments  he  would  dine  at  the  Club,  go  to  the  theatre 
with  Van  or  Balford  and  afterwards  come  back  for 
a  night  cap  and  few  or  many  games  of  backgam 
mon.  This  was  his  scheme  of  life  at  the  age  of 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  3 

twenty-six,  when  we  take  up  the  story.  Some 
months  before  the  story  opens,  Oswald  had  met, 
for  the  first  time  at  a  dinner  dance  at  the  Anson 
Jones,  a  debutante  of  the  year  before,  Clare  Law 
rence.  She  was  at  the  time  but  nineteen  years  of 
age,  but  had  the  repose  and  self  poise  of  an  older 
woman.  Mrs.  Lawrence,  her  mother,  was  a  widow, 
and  from  both  her  husband  and  her  father  had  in 
herited  a  fortune  sufficiently  ample  to  enable  her 
to  educate  her  only  child  in  a  most  liberal  way. 
Since  girlhood,  Clare  had  been  in  French,  German 
and  English  schools  abroad.  She  had  studied 
voice  culture  with  Marchesi  and  drawing  and 
painting  in  Julian's  studio  in  Paris.  Educationally, 
she  was  well  rounded  and  a  desirable  catch  from  a 
material  point  of  view.  Oswald  was  insensibly 
attracted  toward  her  from  the  first,  and  she  was 
mildly  interested  in  him.  As  she  had  only  returned 
to  America  the  year  before,  after  eight  years  ab 
sence,  she  knew  nothing  of  him  excepting  that  he 
was  widely  popular,  well  born  and  educated  and 
possessed,  to  a  marked  degree,  of  what  is  ambigu 
ously  called  personal  magnetism.  That  he  had  an 
income  did  not  figure  at  all  in  her  estimate  of  the 
man. 

He  had  from  the  first  called  regularly  at  the 
Lawrence  home  in  Forty-eighth  Street.  Of  late  his 
calls  had  been  quite  frequent  and  a  natural  friend 
ship,  approaching  tendresse,  had  gradually  devel 
oped.  He  was  falling  in  love,  without  realising  it, 


4  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

and  she  was,  in  the  same  way,  becoming  more 
dependent  on  him. 

Jack  stood  before  the  mirror  and  talked  to  the 
reflection — 

"  You're  wasting  your  life,  old  man,  you  know  you 
are,  and  why  do  you  do  it  ?  What  good  purpose 
are  you  accomplishing?  You  must  brace  up  and 
develop  what  is  in  you.  It  ought  not  to  be  a  hard 
task." 

He  was  still  talking  to  himself  and,  having  com 
pleted  his  toilet,  had  turned  to  his  parlour  to  light  a 
cigarette,  when  a  loud  knock  at  his  door  broke  up 
his  reveries. 

"  Come  in." 

"  How  are  you,  Jack?  I  dropped  in  to  see  if  you 
would  make  the  fourth  in  a  partie  carrt  to-night. 
I  have  two  seats  at  the  Empire  and  have  asked 
Kitty  to  join  us  for  supper  after  the  show.  I  saw 
her  on  Broadway  and  she  says  you  never  come  near 
her  any  more.  What's  up  ?  Kitty  is  making  a  big 
hit  and  if  I  am  not  mistaken  she  won't  play  sou- 
brette  parts  long." 

"  I  can't  do  it,  Ernest ;  I  am  dining  at  the  Law 
rences." 

"  Can't  you  join  us  afterwards  ?  You  told  me 
yesterday  that  you  were  going  to  dine  at  the  Club 
to-night.  I  have  asked  Alice  to  make  the  square." 

"  I  forgot  about  the  dinner  when  I  said  that,  but 
I  don't  think  I  had  better  join  you." 

"  Look  here,  Jack,  what's  the  matter  with  you 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  5 

lately  ?  You  are  not  going  back  on  the  old  guard, 
are  you  ?  We  are  old  pals.  Are  you  really  in  the 
toils?" 

"  Toils  nothing.  I  like  the  family  very  much, 
dinner's  good  and  all  that,  but  besides,  Ernest, 
Kitty  St.  Clair  and  I  are  not  as  good  friends  as  we 
were, — some  little  row — and  I  haven't  seen  nor 
called  on  her  for  some  time." 

"  I  knew  something  must  be  up,  but  it's  none  of 
my  business.  I'll  tell  you  one  thing,  however,  you 
are  falling  in  love,  and,  like  the  old  ostrich,  you 
think  no  one  sees  it." 

"  I  don't  think  I  am." 

"  Yes,  you  are,  and  I'll  bet  an  old  hat  you  will  be 
engaged  inside  of  three  weeks." 

"  Have  a  drink,  Ernest,  I'm  late." 

"  Thanks,  I'll  take  a  peg.  Awfully  sorry  you 
can't  come,  though." 

"  Help  yourself,"  and  Oswald  opened  the  door 
in  his  sideboard,  disclosing  a  miniature  bar. 

A  few  moments  later  he  jumped  on  a  Broadway 
car  and  was  hurried  up  town. 

Ten  days  before  the  night  in  question,  Miss 
Lawrence  and  her  mother  had  gone  to  Washington 
on  a  week's  visit,  and  Oswald,  after  a  day  or  so, 
making  the  excuse  of  seeing  a  Congressman  cus 
tomer,  had  followed  them,  and,  naturally  enough, 
spent  his  two  days  at  the  Arlington,  where  the 
Lawrences  were  stopping.  Had  the  opportunity 
offered,  he  would  then  have  asked  Clare  to  become 


6  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

his  wife,  but  the  constant  presence  of  Madame  M^re 
had  made  this  impossible.  Mrs.  Lawrence  liked 
Oswald  immensely,  but  thought  Clare  too  young  to 
think  of  marriage  at  present. 

To-night  Oswald  entered  the  drawing-room  a 
good  ten  minutes  ahead  of  time,  and  a  very  charm 
ing  picture  presented  itself  as  the  young  lady  of 
the  house  laid  aside  her  book  and  rose  to  greet  him. 
She  was  looking  remarkably  well.  Her  gown  was 
of  white  crepe  de  Chine,  which  showed  to  the  best 
advantage  her  shapely  figure.  Her  hair,  full  of  soft 
waves,  was  worn  a.  la  Madonna  and,  in  the  light  of 
the  room,  had  a  golden-brown  sheen.  Her  eyes 
were  violet  and  spoke  more  of  a  welcome  than  she 
knew  as  she  said  in  her  low  musical  voice  :  "  I  am 
so  glad  you  could  come,  Mr.  Oswald." 

"But  I  am  outrageously  early,  am  I  not?"  an 
swered  Oswald,  looking  about. 

"  No,  only  a  few  minutes.  I  hope  it  won't  prove 
a  mauvais  quartre  cThcure.  How  have  you  been  ?  " 

"  Oh,  the  same  old  routine,  office,  club,  dfnner 
and  bed.  I  am  getting  sick  of  it  all ;  I  hope  I  am 
not  getting  blase,  at  my  age.  And  how  did  you 
enjoy  your  visit,  Miss  Clare  ?  " 

"  We  had  a  lovely  time  :  dinners  with  diplomats, 
receptions  at  Senators'  houses  and  a  lot  of  that  kind 
of  thing.  I  met  some  charming  men,  mostly  officers 
of  the  army  and  navy  and  foreign  attaches,  but  I 
missed  my  New  York  friends  and  am  glad  to  get 
back.  We  had  a  rather  unpleasant  experience  a 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  7 

few  days  since,  which  quite  upset  dear  Mamma.  I 
was  to  tell  no  one,  but  you  are  such  an  old  friend, 
that  I  shall  risk  Mamma's  displeasure  if  you  will 
promise  never  to  breathe  it." 

"I  swear,"  smiled  Oswald;  "and  I  wager  it's 
about  some  man." 

"  It  is,"  said  Clare  ;  "  but  I  know  you  couldn't 
guess  it,  and,  if  I  tell  it  at  all,  I  must  hurry,  for 
Mamma  will  be  down  in  a  moment  and  our  other 
guests  will  be  here." 

"  Hurry,  then  ;  I  am  all  ears  and  curiosity." 

"  Let  me  see,  it  was  last  Tuesday  night.  We 
went  to  a  ball  at  the  German  Embassy,  and,  among 
others,  I  was  presented  to  a  young  and  decidedly 
handsome  German  Baron,  one  of  the  attaches. 
During  the  evening  I  saw  a  great  deal  of  the  Baron, 
We  talked  in  German  and  walked  through  the  con 
servatory  and  I  saw  scarcely  any  other  men.  Be 
fore  going,  he  asked  if  he  might  call.  I  introduced 
him  to  Mamma.  On  the  following  afternoon  what 
was  our  surprise  to  receive  his  card,  sent  to  our 
parlour,  requesting  an  interview  with  Mrs.  Lawrence. 
Mamma  went  in  to  see  him.  He  at  once  broached 
the  subject  of  marrying  me,  and  said  that  he  would 
take  me  for  ten  thousand  a  year,  though  his  figure 
had  always  been  fifteen.  Wasn't  that  a  com 
pliment  !  What  did  Mamma  do?  She  rose  to 
flights  of  eloquence  I  never  dreamed  she  possessed  ; 
I  could  hear  her  in  my  room.  My  poor,  lost  Baron 
did  not  speak  English  well,  but  I  feel  sure  that  the 


8  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

'  How  dare  you's  '  and  '  What  do  you  means'  were 
more  than  half  understood.  He  bowed  himself  out 
rather  precipitately  and  Mamma  half  shrieked,  half 
moaned  for  me  to  come  to  her.  I  laughed  until  I 
cried,  but  Mamma's  indignation  has  not  yet  worn 
off.  What  do  you  think  of  the  story?  " 

"  The  beastly  little  upstart !  Clare,  I  mean  Miss 
Lawrence,  you  wouldn't  think  of  marrying  for  a 
title,  would  you  ?  You  will  marry  some  true  Ameri 
can,  won't  you,  dear,  Clare,  I— 

"  Mr.  and  Mrs.  and  Miss  Jones,"  announced  the 
butler  in  pompous  tones.  .  .  . 

As  Jack  Oswald  walked  down  the  avenue  three 
hours  later  twirling  his  stick  and  humming  one  of 
his  favourite  songs,  he  felt  himself  a  new  man. 
Shadows  temporary  and  fleeting  would  obtrude 
themselves,  but  he  ignored  them  and  murmured  to 
himself,  "She  loves  me,  she  loves  me."  He  didn't 
notice  the  light  rain  which  had  begun  falling  and 
pattered  on  the  crown  of  his  silk  hat.  "  She  loves 
me,  she  loves  me,"  was  the  refrain  the  tiny  drops 
seemed  to  sing,  as  he  entered  the  warm  confines  of 
the  club  and  asked  the  man  at  the  door  if  Mr.  Van 
Beuren  was  in  the  building. 

"  Mr.  Van  Beuren  is  in  the  cafe,  sir."  He  strolled 
in  and  joined  a  party  of  four,  two  of  whom  were 
engrossed  in  a  game  of  backgammon.  Van  Beuren 
was  looking  on  and  greeted  Oswald  with  a  "  Hello, 
Jack,  you  look  as  though  you  had  just  come  from 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  9 

the  Klondyke,  with  a  bushel  of  nuggets.  What's 
happened  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  old  man  ;  I  feel  quite  fit  to-night,  that's 
all,  I  suppose." 

"  Well,  I'm  glad  to  hear  it,  and  hope  it  will  last. 
We've  been  worrying  about  you  lately  ;  thought 
Kitty  had  given  you  your  congt  or  something 
equally  serious." 

For  a  moment  a  cloud  passed  over  Oswald's  face, 
but  he  forgot  it  in  an  instant  and  gave  his  order 
and  entered  into  a  good-natured  argument  with 
Charlie  Haswell  about  the  respective  merits  of  the 
Yale  and  Harvard  football  teams.  Finally  Balford 
said : 

"  Have  you  heard  about  the  nasty  little  affair  in 
the  club  this  evening,  Jack  ?  " 

"  No,  what  was  it  ?  " 

"  Why — you  tell  it,  Van,  I'm  playing." 

"  Well,"  said  Van,  "  Charlie  West  and  Fred  Jones 
were  in  a  crowd  of  four  or  five  taking  a  smile,  when 
Charlie  said  :  '  Fred,  who  in  the  deuce  were  those 
champagne  blondes  and  things  you  had  in  the  box 
at  the  Casino  last  evening;  you  ought  to  be  more 
careful.'  Fred  reddened  and  a  second  after  called 
West  a  dirty  blackguard.  In  an  instant  blows  were 
exchanged,  and,  in  another,  they  were  separated 
and  both  sorry,  but  a  number  of  members  over 
heard  the  remark  and  saw  the  trouble,  and  the  end 
is  yet  to  come.  They  will  be  disciplined  in  some 
way.  I  hope  it  won't  get  out." 


io  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"  By  Jove,  how  unfortunate,"  said  Oswald. 

"  Yes,  but  the  worst  of  it  was,  that  it  seems  Fred 
had  a  kind  of  family  party  with  him,  out-of-towners, 
you  know,  including  his  sister,  and  he  was  blowing 
them  off  to  an  evening's  amusement." 

"  Well,  boys,  I  am  going  to  turn  in,  I'm  tired," 
and  Oswald  left  the  party  and  club.  "  She  loves 
me,  she  loves  me,"  sang  the  drops  as  he  walked  to 
his  rooms,  but  the  shadows  would  obtrude. 

Oswald's  character  was  a  complex  one.  Up  to 
his  college  days  his  life  had  been  uneventful. 
Brought  up  in  an  atmosphere  of  refinement,  his 
tastes  were  clean  and  healthy  and  his  sense  of 
right  and  wrong  clearly  defined.  As  a  boy  he 
passionately  loved  to  go  into  the  woods  and  fields 
and  study  the  birds  and  flowers.  This  taste  for 
natural  history  and  nature  had  early  developed 
and  had  been  fostered  by  his  father,  who  owned  a 
large  farm  within  easy  access  to  the  city  and  where 
young  Jack  spent  all  his  vacations.  He  went  to 
college  earlier  than  most  boys,  having  prepared 
under  private  tutors.  Herein  lay  the  source  of 
subsequent  weaknesses.  He  was  a  follower  rather 
than  a  leader,  and,  when  thrown  in  with  groups  of 
boys  prepared  together  at  St.  Pauls,  Andover  or 
Groton,  and  in  most  cases  older  than  himself,  he 
found  himself  in  that  deplorable  position  of  being 
always  unable  to  say  "No."  His  unusual  amiabil 
ity  and  evenness  of  temper  contributed  to  increase 
this  weakness,  and,  whereas  he  was  universally  liked, 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  u 

the  respect  he  got  from  his  classmates  was  tempered 
by  the  knowledge  of  his  failing.  While  not  accom 
plished,  yet  he  could  do  many  things  fairly  well. 
Without  working  hard,  he  could  keep  up  with  his 
class,  he  was  a  fair  athlete  and  had  played  as  sub 
stitute  on  the  University  eleven.  He  had  a  clear 
but  untrained  baritone  voice,  a  voice  with  tears  in 
it,  as  some  one  once  said. 

He  felt  that  he  could  do  something  creditable, 
but  he  also  knew  that  he  never  would,  yet  he  had 
perseverance  and  determination  enough,  and  when 
once  fixed  in  an  idea,  good  or  bad,  would  stick  to  it 
in  face  of  all  opposition.  What  he  thought  was 
true  could  never  be  proved  otherwise,  by  friend  or 
foe,  on  any  evidence  except  the  evidence  of  his  own 
ears  or  eyes.  He  was  hail  fellow  with  every  one, 
as  much  with  the  policeman  on  his  beat  as  with  the 
club  friend  with  whom  he  took  his  cocktail.  With 
women  he  was  always  a  favourite.  Polite  and  atten 
tive,  he  seemed  to  take  an  interest  in  even  the  most 
trivial  affairs  that  interested  them,  and  they  instinc 
tively  made  of  him  a  friend  with  whom  barriers  of 
conventionality  were  shortly  broken  down.  He 
was  a  combination  of  generosity  and  selfishness. 
Of  money  he  knew  not  the  value.  If  he  saw  a 
thing  he  wanted,  or  that  some  one  else  wanted,  and 
had  the  money,  he  would  buy  it.  If  any  one 
stopped  him  on  the  street  with  the  usual  tale  of  pov 
erty  and  woe,  his  hand  would  instinctively  go  to 
his  pocket.  Even  when  his  father  was  giving  him 


12  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

a  generous  allowance,  he  was  always  without  funds, 
always  coming  for  a  little  more  and  unable  to 
account  for  the  money  gone.  He  was  selfish  only 
in  his  stubbornness.  It  was  almost  impossible  for 
him  to  give  up  an  idea  once  fixed  ;  regardless  of  how 
he  might  bring  distress  to  others,  he  clung  to  it 
until  he  knew  himself  wrong.  Whereas  his  obsti 
nacy  was  dogged  and  brought  an  "  ounce  of  pleas 
ure  with  a  pound  of  pain,"  it  sometimes  worked  the 
other  way. 

An  example  of  this  was  shown  once,  when,  in  face 
of  circumstantial  evidence  which  had  convicted  a 
poor  devil  accused  of  petit  larceny,  he  befriended 
him,  taking  the  man's  word  against  all  testimony 
and  followed  the  case  with  his  time  and  money  to 
an  upper  court,  before  reaching  which  the  real  cul 
prit  was  discovered,  confessed  and  sentenced. 

This  was  Oswald's  character  at  the  time  he  be- 
came  engaged  to  Clare  Lawrence.  She  had  the 
pure,  unselfish,  trusting  character  of  a  good  woman. 
He  was  a  man  of  average  acquirements  and  consid 
ered  an  all-round  good  fellow. 


CHAPTER  II. 

"  MARGARET,  hurry  up,  you  will  not  be  ready  in 
time  and  I  am  so  anxious  to  see  how  Miss  Lawrence 
walks  down  the  aisle,  the  girl  who  has  had  no  expe 
rience  in  life  or  society." 

The  speaker  was  Mrs.  Anson  Jones,  the  wife  of  a 
wealthy  stock  broker  living  on  Fiftieth  Street. 
Her  conversation  was  addressed  to  her  daughter. 
Margaret  Jones  was  standing  in  the  middle  of  her 
dainty  boudoir.  She  was  the  spoiled  child  of  the 
fortune  which  all  her  surroundings  betrayed.  Ar 
tistic  to  a  degree,  her  little  den  was  filled  with 
works  of  art  and  bric-a-brac  from  all  parts  of  the 
world.  The  daintiest  piece  of  Dresden  china  in  the 
collection,  however,  was  Margaret  herself,  with  her 
soft,  dreamy,  blue  eyes,  and  little  golden  curls  all 
over  her  mignon  head.  Then  her  maid  handed 
her  the  parasol,  which  was  the  last  touch  of  perfec 
tion  to  her  charming  costume,  and  she  started  to 
walk  languidly  to  the  adjoining  room.  Margaret 
could  never  do  anything  in  a  hurry.  Together  she 
and  Mrs.  Anson  Jones  passed  down  the  stairs  and 
entered  the  well-appointed  brougham  at  the  door. 
"  Drive  as  quickly  as  possible  to  St.  Thomas's 
Church,"  said  the  mother,  elaborately  settling  her 
flounces  as  she  spoke. 


14  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

It  was  just  twelve  o'clock  and  the  neighbouring 
bells  were  clanging  out  the  noon  hour.  Lines  of 
rosy-faced  school-girls  were  hurrying  home  to  lunch, 
and  the  poor,  dilapidated  stages,  relics  of  former 
generations,  went  toiling  by.  Upon  reaching  the 
church  they  pushed  a  hurried  way  through  the 
crowd  of  sight-seers  on  the  pavement  and  were 
met  at  the  door  by  Ernest  Balford,  one  of  the 
ushers. 

"  You  are  awfully  late,  and  I  couldn't  save  the 
good  places  I  had  promised,  but  here  is  a  corner 
where  you  can  see  something  of  the  bridal  proces 
sion." 

At  that  moment  the  organ  started  the  beautiful 
Lohengrin  wedding  march.  On  the  minute,  the  wed 
ding  party  started  up  the  aisle.  First  came  the  ush 
ers,  then  the  bridesmaids,  many  of  them  making  their 
first  bow  into  society  at  the  first  great  event  of  the 
season.  A  hushed  murmur  ran  through  the  church 
as  the  bride  appeared.  How  could  a  girl  so  young 
walk,  on  such  an  occasion,  with  such  self-possession 
and  grace  ?  Her  breeding  was  shown  in  every 
movement  of  her  supple  form.  Her  large  eyes 
looked  with  innocence  straight  ahead,  and  all  her 
movements  and  expression  betrayed  the  uncon 
sciousness  of  untarnished  girlhood.  Oswald  met 
her  at  the  altar  and,  after  a  few  short  minutes, 
they  passed  down  the  aisle,  arm  in  arm,  man  and 
wife. 

The  Lawrence  home  was  resplendent  in  its  floral 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  15 

array  of  roses,  chrysanthemums  and  autumn  leaves, 
and  the  reception  was  attended  by  every  one  in 
New  York  worth  knowing.  At  three  o'clock  the 
bride  and  groom  disappeared  up  the  avenue  in  the 
Lawrence  carriage  with  the  usual  accompaniment  of 
rice  and  slippers  and  with  destination  unknown.  .  .  . 

Four  months  had  passed.  Jack  Oswald  and  his 
bride  spent  a  three  weeks'  honeymoon  at  Washing 
ton,  the  Hot  Springs  of  Virginia  and  Fortress  Mon 
roe — three  very  happy  weeks.  Everything  was 
forgotten  save  that  they  were  together  trusting  and 
trusted.  Only  once  did  a  little  cloud  appear. 
They  had  been  walking  on  the  long  stretch  of  sand 
at  Fortress  Monroe.  The  day  was  one  of  those 
heavenly  autumn  afternoons,  neither  too  hot  nor 
cold,  best  expressed  by  mellow.  Behind  them  were 
the  woods  and  fields  in  their  gorgeous  dress  of  many 
colours,  in  front,  the  blue  waters  of  the  ocean 
stretched  in  limitless  perspective,  dancing  and  rip 
pling  in  the  sunlight. 

They  had  seated  themselves  on  a  bit  of  old  wreck 
age,  the  silent  witness  of  some  bygone  tragedy, 
perhaps. 

"Isn't  it  lovely,  Jack?" 

"  Lovely,  dear." 

"  Do  you  remember,  Jack,  in  one  of  the  old 
Punch's,  the  picture  of  Angelina  and  Augustus?" 

"  No,  dear,  what  was  it  ?  " 

"Why,  don't  you  remember?  Angelina  and 
Augustus  were  on  their  honeymoon  and  on  the 


16  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

sands  at  fitretat,  or  Trouville  or  somewhere.  An 
gelina  said  :  '  Oh,  I  wish  some  friend  would  come 
along.'  '  Yes,'  replied  Augustus, yawning,  'or  even 
an  enemy.' ' 

Oswald  smiled.  "  No,  Clare,"  he  answered,  "  for  my 
part  I  am  enjoying  every  minute  of  our  trip,  aren't 
you?" 

"  Yes,  Jack — Jack,  it's  strange  how  little,  how 
almost  nothing,  I  know  of  your  past  life.  You 
know  of  my  school  days  in  Dresden  and  Paris,  they 
were  very  pleasant,  as  I  look  back,  but  my  life  only 
really  began  a  year  and  a  half  ago  when  I  came 
back  and  met  you.  Some  day  you  must — why, 
Jack,  what's  the  matter,  do  you  know  either  of 
those  people  ?  What  a  horrid,  vindictive  face  she 
has.  Surely  you  don't  know  her  or  that  common- 
looking  man  with  her!" 

"  No,  no,  I  don't,  Clare,  that  is,  I  used  to  know 
something  about  her.  She  is  a  very  ordinary- 
woman  from  New  York." 

"  But,  Jack,  darling,  you  grew  actually  pale  when 
you  first  saw  her." 

"No,  I  didn't,  Clare;  it  was  your  imagination. 
Now  let  the  matter  drop,  and  let  us  go  back  to  the 
hotel." 

"  I  wonder  what  she  is  doing  down  here,  Jack?  " 

"  Clare,  if  you  don't  let  the  matter  drop  I  shall  be 
angry." 

"  I  am  sorry,  dear;  I  did  not  mean  to  annoy  you." 

They  walked  along  in  silence,  Jack  cursing  the 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  17 

chance  that  had  brought  Kitty  St.  Clair  to  Fortress 
Monroe  at  this  time.  How  much  trouble  was  she 
going  to  make  for  him  ? 

Meanwhile  Clare,  with  dry  tears  in  her  eyes  and 
a  heavy  heart,  walked  by  his  side.  That  a  vague 
something  had,  even  now,  come  between  them  she 
felt  keenly,  though  she  could  not  analyse  her  feelings. 
Only  one  thing  she  knew — Jack  had  spoken  crossly 
to  her.  What  had  she  done  ?  Yes,  it  was  her  fault ; 
she  had  been  too  curious  and  had  annoyed  him. 

"  I'm  sorry,  Jack,"  she  said  again. 

"  No,  dearest,  don't  say  that.  I  was  a  little  quick 
and  I  apologise." 

"  How  horrid  it  is  to  be  anything  but  the  best  of 
chums,  isn't  it,  Jack?  lean  understand  now  how 
horrible  loveless  marriages  must  be." 

They  reached  the  hotel  at  dusk  and  went  at  once 
to  dress  for  dinner,  that  is,  Clare  did,  while  her  hus 
band  promised  that  he  would  follow  her  in  a  few 
minutes.  He  went  directly  to  the  register  and 
there,  sure  enough,  in  her  clear  masculine  hand  he 
read  :  "  Kitty  St.  Clair,  New  York  City."  He  went 
to  the  bar,  had  a  cocktail,  lit  a  cigarette  and  strolled 
out  on  the  walk.  Two  figures  were  approaching, 
and,  as  they  neared  him,  he  recognised  Kitty  and 
her  escort.  He  touched  his  hat  as  he  passed,  but 
heard  his  name  called,  as  he  did  so,  and  turning, 
met  Kitty,  who  had  for  a  moment  left  her  com 
panion. 

"  That    was  a  very  cordial  greeting  from  an  old 


1 8  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

friend,  Mr.  Oswald,"  said  Kitty  in  her  low,  attrac 
tive  voice. 

"  Well,  Kitty,  I  did  not  know  the  gentleman." 

"  No,  and  you  wish  you  hadn't  known  me.  See 
here,  Jack  Oswald,  do  you  think  you  have  acted  the 
honourable  gentleman  towards  me,  you  who  put 
honour  and  uprightness  on  so  high  a  level.  You 
know  what  I  told  you  before  you  left  me.  I  am 
not  done  with  you  yet.  Good-evening." 

Oswald  stood  looking  after  the  retreating  figure. 

"  A  woman  scorned  "  he  thought  to  himself.  Yet 
he  had  not  scorned  her,  he  had  been  her  best  and 
most  generous  friend,  it  seemed  to  him  as  he  thought 
it  over. 

In  a  most  unhappy  frame  of  mind  he  walked  to 
the  hotel  again  and  went  to  his  rooms. 

Four  months  had  passed  since  on  that  golden 
October  day  in  the  flower-embowered  church  in  the 
largest  city  in  the  land,  and  in  the  presence  of  the 
best  people  of  that  city,  Jack  Oswald  had  promised 
everything  to  the  girl  whom  he  called  wife.  Per 
haps  he  should  have  laid  bare  the  pages  of  his  past 
life  to  the  young  girl  before  he  took  her  to  the 
altar.  Yet  how  could  he?  How  can  nine  out  of 
ten  men  ?  He  was  no  moralist.  He  was  rather  a 
sophist.  He  thought  he  was  a  gentleman  in  the 
highest  sense  of  the  term.  Perhaps  he  was,  perhaps 
he  was  not.  At  any  rate,  he  came  back  from  his 
honeymoon,  and,  after  two  weeks'  visit  with  Clare's 
mother,  they  moved  into  their  cosy  little  house  in 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  19 

Thirty-second  St.,  where  they  were  to  spend  the 
Winter. 

During  the  day  time  Jack  was  down  town  attend 
ing  to  the  not  very  onerous  business  of  the  firm  of 
Oswald  &  Van  Beuren,  and  in  the  afternoon  he 
would  follow  his  ante-marital  habit  of  going  to  the 
club  at  four-thirty  or  five  to  see  his  friends,  and 
play  whist  or  backgammon  for  awhile.  At  first 
Clare  would  frequently  meet  him  at  Tenth  Street 
or  below  and  walk  with  him  to  their  home,  where 
he  would  leave  her  and  run  over  to  his  beloved  club. 
She  never  complained.  She  even  urged  him  to  go 
out  of  an  evening  when  they  had  no  engagements. 
She  wished  to  give  her  husband  the  fullest  liberty. 
She  reasoned,  perhaps  fallaciously,  that  she  must 
not  expect  him  to  give  up  all  his  past  habits  and 
life,  that  he  would  love  her  more  if  she  never  made 
requirements  of  him  but  simply  made  his  small 
home  so  cheerful  and  attractive  that  he  would,  by 
preference,  remain  at  her  side.  She  was  too  large 
hearted  and  unselfish  to  consider  for  a  moment 
what  she  had  given  up  for  this  man,  what  every 
woman  gives  up  when  she  blots  out  all  her  previous 
life,  and  in  a  moment  takes  up  the  new  and  untried 
one.  A  lottery  ?  Yes,  and  with  the  odds  much  in 
favour  of  Monsieur  le  Diable, 

"  Do  you  want  to  go  anywhere  this  evening, 
Clare,"  said  Jack  one  evening,  looking  up  from  his 
paper  just  before  dinner. 

Clare  sat  at  the  piano  running  her  fingers  softly 


20  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

over  the  keys  and  recalling  her  girlhood  days  in 
some  half-remembered  melody. 

"  No,  Jack,  perhaps  we  can  stay  at  home  to-night 
and  have  a  really  homey  evening." 

"  Oh,  all  right,  dear,  but  I  want  to  run  over  to  the 
club  to  see  Charlie  Haswell  for  a  minute  about  half 
past  nine.' 

An  inaudible  sigh,  a  little  tearful  sob,  was  sup 
pressed  almost  before  she  knew  she  felt  it,  and  Clare 
answered  cheerfully, 

"  All  right,  Jack,  dear." 

After  dinner,  at  which  Jack  tried  to  make  him 
self  unusually  agreeable,  he  threw  himself  on  the 
divan  and  Clare,  seating  herself  at  the  piano,  played 
for  an  hour.  She  played  the  things  Jack  loved 
best,  "  Narcissus,"  "  O  mon  Fernand  "  and  bits  from 
Chopin  and  Mozart,  ending  with  one  of  Jack's 
especial  pets,  the  "  Marche  Funebre  "  of  Chopin. 

Jack  purled  his  cigar  languidly  and  thought  about 
the  coming  trip  in  the  club  car  to  the  football 
game  and  was  as  comfortable  as  possible.  He  did 
not  know  how  happy  he  was.  Like  many  men  he 
took  many  things  for  granted.  He  loved  his  wife 
very  dearly,  but  he  never  knew  or  thought  how 
many  times  daily  Clare  said  to  herself : 

"  Why  does  he  not  say  so,  I  am  hungering  and 
thirsting  for  it?  Why  does  he  not  tell  me  that  he 
loves  me  better  than  any  one,  or  anything,  in  this 
great  world?" 

"Well,  little  girl,  I'll  be  back  shortly,"  and  with 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  21 

a  light  kiss  Jack  was  off  to  the  club.  At  a  quarter 
past  one  in  the  morning  he  came  in  to  find  Clare 
seated  in  her  little  boudoir.  Dressed  only  in  her 
light  blue  dressing  gown,  and  with  her  hair  in  a  single 
braid,  she  looked  sweet  and  girlish.  The  delicate 
odour  of  violets  was  about  the  room  and  the  beauti 
ful  face  looked  up  happily  as  he  entered. 

"Why,  Clare,"  cried  her  husband,  "why  in  the 
world  didn't  you  go  to  bed  ?  I  am  sorry  I  am  so  late, 
but  I  got  into  a  game,  and  had  no  idea  how  the 
time  was  going." 

"  It's  all  right,  Jack,  now  you  are  here.  I  was  get 
ting  a  little  anxious,  you  know,  and  I  can't  sleep 
until  you  come  home.  Did  you  have  a  good 
time?" 

"  No,  not  very,  I  lost  five  dollars  at  backgammon. 
By  the  way,  Clare,"  he  added,  "  I  have  a  fine  chance 
to  go  duck  shooting.  George  Cornell  has  asked  me 
to  go  down  to  Havre  de  Grace  with  him.  They 
have  a  club  on  an  island  called  Spesutia,  or  some 
name  like  that ;  fine  shooting,  they  say." 

"  Well,  you  must  go,  dear,  of  course." 

"  No,  I  told  him  I  didn't  see  how  I  could  leave 
you." 

"  Why,  of  course  you  must  go,  Jack.  I  can  go  to 
stay  with  mother,  or  she  can  come  to  me." 

"  You  are  the  dearest,  most  unselfish  thing  in  the 
world,  Clare.  I  really  would  like  to  go  if  I  could 
arrange  it." 

"  Why,  you  must  go,  Jack  ;  and  think  how  fine  it 


22  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

will  be  when  you  bring  back  a  lot  of  canvas- 
backs.  ..." 

On  the  following  Tuesday,  therefore,  after  an 
affectionate  farewell,  Oswald  left  by  the  two  o'clock 
train  with  gun  and  ammunition  for  a  week  on  the 
Chesapeake,  having  arranged  that  Mrs.  Lawrence 
was  to  come  to  spend  the  nights  with  Clare.  Clare's 
mother  was  a  woman  of  the  world.  Thrown  on  her 
own  resources  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  she 
had  learned  to  look  on  the  world  as  it  is,  and  while 
being  a  sympathetic  and  womanly  woman,  she  had 
a  large  gift,  latent  until  called  into  use,  of  common 
sense.  She  had  tried  to  counsel  Clare  before  her 
marriage  as  to  many  of  the  frailties  and  foibles  of 
mankind,  and  had,  since  that  event,  talked  to  her  in 
what  she  thought  the  best  way.  But  the  daughter 
possessed  an  innate  reserve,  which  made  it  impossi 
ble  for  her  to  do  more  than  listen.  Life  in  certain 
of  its  aspects  had  been  an  unturned  leaf  to  her  be 
fore  her  marriage  and  her  pride  kept  her  from  saying 
anything  after  her  new  life  had  begun.  She  would 
simply  say  to  her  mother  that  she  was  very  happy, 
that  was  all.  At  the  ferry  Jack  met  George  Cornell 
and  they  crossed  and  boarded  the  Washington  Ex 
press.  Just  after  dusk  they  hurried  off  the  train  at 
Havre  de  Grace,  where  the  captain  of  the  small 
club  steamer  met  them. 

"  Hello,  Captain." 

"  How  d'ye  do,  Mr.  Cornell." 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  23 

"  Captain  Smith,  this  is  Mr.  Oswald.  What's  the 
prospect  ?  " 

"  Very  good,  Mr.  Cornell  ;  the  ducks  are  '  trading  ' 
in  and  out  of  the  inlet  and  you  can't  drive  them  off 
the  places  where  we  dumped  the  corn,  no,  not  with 
a  club." 

"  Good  enough  ;  then  we  ought  to  have  some 
sport." 

"  You'll  have  sport  enough,  and  ducks  enough,  if 
you  can  hit  "em." 

"  Well,  we'll  try.  Mr.  Oswald  is  good  on  every 
thing  else  and  I  imagine  he  can  twist  the  ducks  all 
right.  Black-heads,  I  suppose,  mostly,  aren't  they  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir,  with  a  sprinkling  of  red-heads  and  now 
and  then  a  canvas-back.  The  canvas-backs  are 
mostly  on  the  flats,  though." 

In  a  half  hour  the  boat  brought  up  at  the  little 
pier  and  a  few  steps  took  the  party  to  the  commo 
dious  club  house.  There  they  met  two  other  mem 
bers;  Cornell  knew  them  and  introductions  followed. 
They  had  been  down  for  the  shooting  the  day  be 
fore,  and  had  made  a  good  record  of  seventy-six 
ducks.  Dinner  was  presided  over  by  Aunty  Ruth 
and  a  sable  assistant,  and,  after  a  pipe  was  smoked 
before  the  blazing  logs  of  the  open  fireplace,  the 
party  broke  up  to  be  called  at  four-thirty  the  next 
morning.  Lots  had  been  drawn  for  position  and 
Oswald  and  Cornell,  who  were  to  shoot  from  one 
blind,  drew  Land's  Cove  as  their  station. 

Buckwheat  cakes  and  home-made  sausages,  with  a 


24  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

steaming  cup  of  coffee,  made  a  good  beginning  for 
the  day's  pleasures,  and  long  before  light,  Jim,  the 
faithful  darkey,  was  rowing  the  men  to  their  posi 
tions. 

Arrived  at  the  blind,  a  floating  one,  the  men,  guns 
and  ammunition  were  transferred  and  Jim  began 
the  arduous  task  of  putting  out  the  decoys,  about 
three  hundred  in  number.  Before  this  was  com 
pleted,  the  grey  dawn  was  breaking.  Way  off  to  the 
Eastward  the  sky  was  tinged  with  pink.  "  Down," 
whispered  Cornell,  and  then  both  men  lay  flat,  as, 
with  a  thunderous  whirr  of  wings,  a  flock  of  thirty 
odd  black-heads  checked  themselves  and  attempted 
to  turn  off.  They  had  seen  the  stools  and  had  come 
in  almost  over  Jim's  head,  as  he  was  hard  at  work  in 
the  icy  waters.  The  guns  belched  fire  in  the  dusky 
dawn  but  only  one  duck  fell. 

"I  was  rattled,  weren't  you,  Jack?  " 

"Yes,  they  came  so  suddenly,  I  shot  at  a  shadow." 

The  sky  had  changed  now  to  crimson  and  gold, 
and  the  sun  was  tipping  the  trees  on  the  shore. 

"  It's  going  to  be  an  ideal  day,  Jack,  cloudy  and 
the  wind  just  right." 

"  Why,  there's  no  wind  and  the  sun  is  rising 
clear." 

"Yes,  but  don't  you  notice  those  clouds  just 
forming  ?  After  a  half  hour  we  won't  see  the  sun 
again,  I'll  lay  anything." 

Jim  had  finished  "putting  out"  and  had  gone 
way  below  to  the  shore.  There  he  sat  in  his  boat 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  25 

ready  to  gather  dead  birds  or  shoot  cripples.  The 
day  came  on  apparently  all  at  once,  and  suddenly 
the  air  seemed  filled  with  ducks,  "  trading  "  in  and 
out,  the  beautiful  canvas-back  shooting  high  over 
head  in  serried  column.  The  birds  coming  on  in 
groups  of  from  ten  to  forty  decoyed  well.  Jack  was 
doing  excellent  work  and  Cornell  was  only  a  few 
behind.  Both  kept  tally  on  the  boarded  sides  of 
the  blind.  Soon  the  flocks  were  broken  up,  and 
then  the  real  sport  began,  as  the  birds  came  in  two's 
and  three's  or  singly.  Now  and  again  a  flock  of  pin 
tails  would  shoot  by  overhead  and  entice  a  shot, 
while  the  turkey  buzzards  far  over  on  the  land, 
circling  and  wheeling  with  outstretched  wings, 
would  rise  or  fall  at  will  without  seeming  muscular 
movement.  It  was  interesting  to  watch  Jim,  who 
was  kept  busy  chasing  wounded  ducks  all  over  the 
bay.  He  was  an  old  hand  at  this  work.  He  would 
row  rapidly  toward  the  wounded  bird  and,  as  it 
dove,  would  pull  hard  fora  moment,  and  then,  drop 
ping  his  oars,  would  seize  his  gun  and,  standing, 
rotate  his  body  from  one  side  to  the  other  with  gun 
at  shoulder.  The  barrels  covered  the  arc  of  a  half 
circle  and  the  moment  the  duck  appeared  again, 
for  a  second  only,  perhaps,  the  gun  was  discharged 
and  the  bird  at  once  retrieved.  The  hours  went 
fast  and  at  eleven  o'clock  the  morning  shooting  was 
practically  over.  Jim  was  signalled  for  and  sent 
back  for  some  lunch. 

"  It's  too  far  to  walk,  Jack,"  explained  Cornell, 


26  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"and  we're  comfortable  enough  here,  and  from  the 
look  of  things  I  think  the  afternoon  flight  will  be 
early." 

By  four  o'clock  they  had  killed  ninety-six  ducks, 
and  leaving  Jim  to  bring  home  the  birds,  they  were 
rowed  ashore  and  tramped  to  the  club  house. 
There  Oswald  found  a  letter  from  his  wife,  just  sent 
down.  Had  he  thought  of  her  during  the  day  ? 
No,  but  he  had  been  busy  and  excited.  The  letter, 
the  last  he  received  from  her  for  many  a  year,  ran 
thus: 

"  MY  OWN  HUSBAND  : 

"  I  am  up  almost  at  daybreak  to  write  to 
you.  Oh,  Jack,  darling,  there  is  no  use  in  telling 
you  how  fearfully  lonely  I  was  last  night.  What 
do  you  think  I  did  ?  Now  don't  laugh — I  put  your 
picture  under  my  pillow.  Am  I  not  a  goose  ?  Oh, 
Jack,  come  back  soon  to  me.  You  are  the  breath  of 
my  life.  I  love  you,  Jack." 

"Your  CLARE." 

"I  am  sending  Cecile  out  with  this  at  seven 
o'clock.  I  hope  you  may  get  it  to-day.  C." 

"God  bless  her  pure  soul,"  said  Jack  to  himself, 
as  he  closed  the  letter  and  put  it  in  his  pocket. 

The  next  day  was  not  a  shooting  one,  and  they 
tried  the  snipe  meadows  with  but  indifferent  suc 
cess.  Jack  had  a  barrel  of  ducks  shipped  to  Clare 
and  put  in  with  the  birds  a  little  note  of  directions 
as  to  whom  they  should  be  sent. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  27 

The  day  following  was  devoted  again  to  the 
ducks,  with  rather  poor  results.  Jack  began  to 
wonder  why  he  did  not  hear  again  from  Clare.  He 
even  sent  the  boat  up  to  Havre  de  Grace  to  enquire 
at  the  post-office.  He  seemed  to  have  a  fore-warn 
ing  of  evil  and  gradually  became  so  distrait  and 
unlike  himself  that  George  Cornell  was  neither  sur 
prised  nor  greatly  disappointed  when,  that  evening, 
Jack  said  that  he  believed  he  would  go  back  to 
town  in  the  morning.  George  wished  to  stop  a 
few  days  longer,  so,  early  the  next  morning,  Jack 
Oswald  took  the  train  at  Havre  de  Grace  for  home. 
"  Home,"  a  name  only  henceforth  for  Jack  Oswald. 


CHAPTER  III. 

OSWALD  had  been  away  for  three  days  on  his 
duck-shooting  trip.  Clare  was  sitting  in  the  pretty 
alcove,  which  she  had  dignified  with  the  name  of 
boudoir. 

She  was  working  industriously  on  a  fancy  worsted 
waistcoat  for  Jack,  and  as  she  worked,  she  hummed 
one  of  her  favourite  little  French  ballads,  "  Si  tn 
savais"  and  thought  of  the  clear  one  far  away. 

The  bell  rang  and  in  a  few  moments  the  maid 
announced:  "  Mrs.  Lincoln." 

"  Oh,  send  her  right  in  here,  Mary,"  and  meeting 
her  friend  at  the  door,  they  kissed  each  other. 

"  I  knew,  Clare,  that  if  you  were  at  home  and 
alone  I  could  come  right  in." 

"  How  sweet  of  you  to  come  to-day,  Marie,  to 
cheer  me  in  my  temporary  widowhood." 

"  I  hope  it  will  never  be  worse  than  temporary, 
Clare,  dear." 

"  Oh,  Marie,  excuse  me,  how  flippant  and  careless 
I  am." 

Marie  Lincoln  had  but  recently  lost  her  husband 
after  a  short  illness.  They  had  been  married  ten 
years  and  she  was  left  with  a  five-year-old  boy. 
She  was  much  older  than  Clare,  but  they  had  be 
come  fast  friends  and  saw  much  of  each  other. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  29 

"  Now,  Marie,  take  off  your  wraps  and  let  us 
have  a  good  long  talk.  How  is  the  boy?  " 

"  Very  well,  except  for  a  little  cold.  I  thought  it 
better  not  to  bring  him  with  me  in  this  raw  Novem 
ber  air." 

"  November  has  always  seemed  a  sad  month  to 
me,  Marie,  until  now,  when  all  is  changed.  When 
Jack's  around  I  care  for  nothing  else.  You  know 
the  magic  of  that  word  '  together,'  Marie." 

Marie  sighed  and  answered  "Yes."  Silence  fol 
lowed  for  a  few  moments,  each  busy  with  deep 
thoughts  of  her  own. 

"  What  German  said  :  '  Wenn  blatter  fallen  ist  der 
Winter  na/i,'  Clare?"  said  Marie  presently.  "I 
always  like  to  say  that,  though  it's  about  the  extent 
of  my  knowledge  of  the  language." 

"  I  don't  remember,  but  it  is  pretty  and  has  the 
merit  of  truth.  Thank  you,  Cecile,"  as  the  maid 
handed  her  a  half-dozen  letters  on  a  tray.  Clare 
looked  eagerly  over  the  budget  for  the  well-known 
handwriting,  but  not  finding  it  sighed  lightly  and 
said  to  herself :  "  Poor  fellow,  he  was  too  tired  after 
his  day's  shooting.  I  shall  have  some  word  to 
morrow  surely."  Then,  aloud,  she  said  : 

"  The  Anson  Jones  are  going  to  give  a  large  ball. 
Margaret  writes  to  ask  if  I  will  help  her  in  finding 
some  unique  favours  for  the  cotillon." 

"  How  they  love  to  entertain.  I  wonder  how 
long  before  Margaret  will  become  engaged.  She  is 
very  pretty,  but  a  spoiled  child." 


30  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"At  the  same  time  she  has  many  good  qualities, 
and  once  in  love  and  married  she  may  make  a  very 
superior  wife  and  mother,"  replied  Clare. 

"  It  is  funny,  isn't  it?  I  remember  at  least  two 
cases  where  girls  I  knew  well  had  been  accustomed 
to  stay  a-bed  until  eleven  o'clock,  have  breakfast  in 
their  rooms,  and  in  many  ways  were  spoiled  and 
petted,  but  once  married,  they  dropped  all  this — 
would  insist  on  breakfasting  with  their  husbands, 
and — what's  the  matter?  You  haven't  had  bad 
news,  have  you,  dear?" 

"  No,  no  news  to  speak  of,  only  a  very  puzzling 
communication  from  some  one  I  don't  know  and 
asking  for  an  interview." 

"  Woman  ?  "  asked  Marie. 

'"Yes,"  said  Clare;  "but  no  matter,  it  is  some 
poor  woman,  poor  but  proud,  probably,  who  wants 
to  borrow  money." 

After  Marie  had  left,  Clare  stood  still  in  the  mid 
dle  of  the  room,  with  the  letter  in  one  hand,  while 
the  other  rested  lightly  on  her  little  writing  desk. 
A  half-puzzled,  half-frightened  look  had  crept  into 
her  beautiful  eyes.  She  stood  there  for  an  instant 
irresolute,  and  then,  snatching  up  Jack's  picture, 
which  stood  there  in  its  gay  red  frame,  she  ex 
claimed :  "No,  no,  Jack,  darling,  forgive  even  my 
unformed  thought ;  you  are  true,  you  have  been, 
you  always  will  be."  But  what  could  this  letter 
mean  ?  Try  as  she  would  she  could  not  shake  off  a 
heavy  feeling  which  crept  into  her  heart,  an  intangi- 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  31 

ble  consciousness  that  something  was  about  to 
happen.  The  letter,  in  strong  feminine  handwrit 
ing  almost  resembling  a  man's,  read  thus: 

"  West  24th  St.,  Nov.  29th. 
"  MRS.  JOHN  OSWALD, 

"  DEAR  MADAM  : 

"  May  I  ask  for  an  inter 
view  with  you  personally  and  alone  ?  It  is  about  a 
very  private  matter.  This  should  be  granted  at 
once.  It  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  add  that  this  is 
neither  blackmail  nor  a  threat. 

"Yours  truly, 

"  KITTY  ST.  CLAIR." 

Clare  stood  and  thought,  but  to  no  avail.  Her 
first  impulse  had  been  to  consign  the  communica 
tion  to..the  fireplace,  but  she  said  to  herself:  "  No, 
I  will  wait  until  to-morrow,  and  a  letter  from  Jack 
will  drive  off  these  shadows  in  an  instant." 

Her  mother  came  as  usual  about  five  o'clock. 
Clare  said  nothing  of  her  letter.  Had  it  been  anony 
mous  she  would  not  have  hesitated  about  showing 
and  burning  it.  Clare  seemed  abnormally  gay  that 
evening.  Two  or  three  young  people  dropped  in 
and  they  had  some  music  and  singing.  The  barrel 
of  ducks  arrived  and  Clare  was  very  proud.  She 
gave  orders  as  to  their  distribution  and  was  a  little 
disappointed  that  Jack  had  said  so  little  in  the  note 
that  was  tied  on  the  one  pair  of  canvas-backs  in  the 
lot ;  but  it  was  his  loved  handwriting,  perhaps  a 
little  scrawly,  but  it  told  her  that  he  loved  her,  and, 


32  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

when  the  chance  offered,  she  excused  herself  and  in 
her  room  pinned  the  dear  words  near  her  heart. 
After  the  guests  had  gone,  her  mother  said  to  her : 

"  Clare,  dear,  I  am  so  glad  to  see  you  happy. 
You  looked  so  glad  to-night  when  you  got  Jack's 
note.  It  made  me  feel  young  again.  When  is  he 
coming  back?  " 

"  He  does  not  say,  mamma,  only  that  he  is  hav 
ing  fine  sport.  I  shall  not  expect  him  for  some 
days  yet.  Good-night." 

"Good-night,  dear,"  and  Clare  went  to  her  room. 
She  sat  again  thinking  it  all  over,  but  could  get  no 
comfort,  and  at  last  a  dreamful  sleep  came  to  her. 

By  breakfast  time  the  next  morning  Clare  had 
determined  to  send  Cecile  to  West  Twenty-fourth 
Street  to  say  that  Mrs.  Oswald  would  see  Miss  St. 
Clair  at  eleven  o'clock.  She  was  very  nervous  in 
view  of  the  meeting,  but  no  one  would  have  sus 
pected  it  from  her  calm  exterior.  When  at  half- 
past  eleven  the  door-bell  rang,  she  had  completely 
conquered  herself  and  awaited  her  visitor  with  ab 
solute  composure.  Kitty  St.  Clair  was  shown  into 
the  drawing-room,  and  Clare  went  at  once  to  her. 
As  she  entered  the  room  the  first  glance  at  the  face 
of  her  caller  told  her  that  she  had  seen  her  before, 
when  and  where  she  had  no  time  to  think. 

"Miss  St.  Clair,  I  believe?" 

"Yes,  and  I  am  addressing  Mrs.  Oswald?" 

"Yes,  will  you  be  seated?" 

"  Thank  you,  Mrs.  Oswald,  but  what  I  have  to  say 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  33 

is  so  private,  and  I  may  say,  compromising,  that,  if 
possible,  I  should  like  to  speak  where  servants 
could  not  overhear." 

"  We  are  quite  safe  here,"  answered  Clare 
coldly,  her  heart  beating  fast  and  a  vague  sinking 
feeling  coming  over  her.  But  her  self-possession 
never  deserted  her,  she  still  clung  to  a  hope,  a 
straw,  that  it  might  be  simply  an  appeal  for  aid,  or 
that  some  dear  friend  of  Jack's  was  involved.  She 
noted  in  an  instant  the  tout  ensemble  of  her  guest. 
She  saw  that  she  was  very  pretty.  Her  hair 
showed  the  use  of  bleaching  fluid,  her  complexion 
was  exquisite,  but  embellished  somewhat  by  the 
judicious  use  of  the  pencil  and  rouge.  Her  figure 
was  small  but  too  rounded  for  perfect  beauty. 
Her  dress  was  handsome,  but  pronounced,  and  the 
hat,  one  of  the  large  and  much  befeathered  kind  in 
vogue.  Her  eyes  were  what  arrested  the  attention 
most.  They  were  a  deep  hazel,  captivating  and  yet 
they  had  a  ray  of  insincerity  in  them,  the  mirror  of 
an  untrue  soul  to  one  who  looked  closely  as  Clare 
did. 

"  Mrs.  Oswald,  your  husband  once  loved  me  and 
I  loved  him,"  began  Kitty  with  horrible  bluntnes.s. 

In  an  instant  Clare  knew  that  all  her  fond  theo 
ries  as  to  the  cause  of  the  visit  were  but  chaff  in  a 
wind.  She  controlled  herself  perfectly,  however. 

" Indeed  ! " 

"  Yes,"  replied  her  caller,  a  little  nettled  at  the 
absolute  calmness  with  which  her  first  shot  had 


34  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

been  received,  "  I  was  his  mistress  for  a  number  of 
years." 

"  Is  this  what  you  have  come  to  tell  me  ? " 
answered  Clare,  rising  from  her  seat. 

"Yes,  this  is  part  of  what  I  came  to  tell  you, 
the  rest  you  shall  have  now.  Your  husband  basely 
deserted  me  when  he  became  engaged  to  marry 
you.  I  loved  him  and  he  was  my  sole  support. 
He  is  the  father  of  my  child  and  must  support  it." 

At  the  first  few  words  Clare  had  sunk  again  to 
her  seat,  and  with  face  of  ashes  gazed  at  the  woman, 
who,  with  blazing  eyes  and  flushed  face,  completed 
her  accusation. 

"  It  is  false,"  said  Clare,  in  a  voice  so  low  as  to 
be  scarcely  heard,  but  with  an  intonation  of  unut 
terable  woe. 

"  It  is  not  false  and  here  is  my  proof,"  cried  she, 
as  she  drew  from  her  bosom  a  paper  and  passed  it 
to  Clare,  who  mechanically  took  it. 

"  Read  it,  please,"  said  the  woman,  almost 
frightened  at  the  effect  of  her  words.  With  sight 
blurred,  not  by  tears,  Clare  read  :  "  Health  Board, 
City  of  New  York,  Birth  Certificate.  John  Oswald 
St.  Clair.  Father's  name,  John  Oswald.  Mother's 

name,  Katherine  St.  Clair.  Dated  Sept. ." 

Within  a  few  days  of  her  wedding — their  wedding! 
She  held  out  the  paper  in  front  of  her  mechanically 
and  then  with  a  heart-rending,  shuddering  cry  : 
"  Mother,  Cecile,"  she  sank  slowly  back  and  down, 
and  all  was  black. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  35 

During  the  stillness  of  the  night,  she  lay  abso 
lutely  quiet  but  with  staring  eyes.  She  could  not 
think  ;  she  was  stunned,  dull  of  thought  and  reason 
ing.  The  moment  had  come  to  her  as  it  has  come 
to  many  women,  when  she  realised  that  her  life 
was  a  mistake.  The  one  person  she  had  thoroughly 
believed  in,  trusted,  to  whom  she  had  given  her 
life,  soul  and  body,  was  false  !  Her  "  golden  image 
with  the  feet  of  clay "  had  fallen  shattered.  A 
horrid  earthquake  had  torn  her  world  apart,  and 
she  stood  on  the  edge  of  an  abyss.  Could  she  take 
up  the  thread  of  her  life  again  where  she  had  left  it 
before  knowing  him  ?  No,  she  was  no  longer  the 
girl  of  four  short  months  ago.  A  married  woman 
and  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  her  life's  romance  was 
done.  She  had  loved  as  few  women  do.  Unsel 
fishness  and  self-abnegation  were  the  main-springs 
of  her  character.  She  had  known  but  few  men 
well.  Jack  Oswald  had  entered  her  life  and  world, 
had  wooed  and  won  her,  and  she  had  placed  him 
on  a  pedestal.  "  Innocent  until  proved  guilty " 
would  have  been  her  maxim  had  she  been  a  man, 
and  was,  as  a  woman,  but  the  proof  was  so  over 
whelming,  so  convincing.  If  her  husband  had  been 
taken  from  her  by  death,  like  Marie  Lincoln's,  she 
would  still  have  memory,  sacred  memory.  She 
would  have  his  pictures,  letters,  all  to  cherish — now 
—the  blackness  of  darkness. 

Mrs.  Lawrence  knew  at  once  that  some  blow  had 


36  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

fallen  upon  her  daughter  and  begged  her  to  confide 
in  her,  but  in  her  pride  Clare  replied  : 

"  Mamma,  dear,  I  will  tell  you  all  some  day. 
Now  I  will  only  say  that  I  cannot  live  with  my 
husband.  It  is  my  wish  to  go  to  you,  to  begin  our 
old  life  together  again  if  possible,  just  you  and  I. 
You  will  not  ask  anything  more,  I  am  sure." 

"  Of  course,  darling,  I  know  your  reasons  must  be 
good,  but  you  are  taking  so  serious  a  step.  It  will 
cause  comment  and  possibly  scandal.  I  am  your 
mother,  the  best  friend  you  have  in  the  world. 
You  have  been  a  perfect  daughter  to  me,  and  the 
only  real  tie  to  bind  me  to  life  and  happiness.  I 
will  not  force  your  confidence,  but  this  determina 
tion  of  yours  should  not  be  final  if  there  is  the 
smallest  loophole  of  escape.  I  have  no  object  or 
hope  in  life  except  your  happiness,  my  darling 
child." 

Clare  sat  silent  with  hands  locked  close  together. 
Two  great  tears  unheeded  rolled  down  her  cheeks. 
No  sound  escaped  her.  She  sat  a  picture  of  despair. 
Finally  she  said  in  a  hopeless  voice: 

"  I  cannot  tell  you,  dearest  mother,  but  it  must 
be  as  I  wish." 

Clare  moved  to  her  old  home  the  same  day. 
She  left  her  mother  and  maid  to  attend  to  the 
moving,  which  really  only  consisted  in  packing  her 
clothes.  When  asked  whether  she  wished  her  own 
things  she  replied,  "  No,  they  are  not  mine  now." 
Then  she  wrote  at  once  to  Pierre  Van  Beuren,  ask- 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  37 

ing  him  to  come  and  see  her  at  her  mother's  house. 
She  had  thought  of  him  as  her  husband's  best 
friend,  and  had  determined  to  tell  him  in  her  own 
way  of  the  separation.  On  Friday  afternoon  Pierre 
called  without  the  least  suspicion  as  to  the  cause  of 
Mrs.  Oswald's  request,  but  with  the  possible  idea 
that  it  had  to  do  with  some  investments  which  Mrs. 
Lawrence  had  had  in  mind  for  months  past. 

When  Clare  came  down  to  the  parlour,  however, 
he  saw  at  once  that  something  was  amiss.  She 
greeted  him  brightly  and  with  a  smile,  as  always, 
but  something  in  her  look,  in  her  face,  told  him  that 
a  crisis  in  her  life  had  come.  He  sat  perplexed, 
waiting  for  his  cue,  while  Clare  began  directly, 
"  Mr.  Van  Beuren,  I  sent  for  you  to-day  to  tell  you 
that  I  have  separated  from  my  husband.  He  is,  as 
you  know,  absent  from  town,  but  I  have  come  here 
to  live  with  my  mother  again,  and  for  the  rest  of 
my  life.  The  reasons  for  this  step,  so  far  as  I  am 
concerned,  must  remain  a  closed  book.  You  will 
use  your  own  tact  and  judgment  in  speaking  of  it 
when  you  are  obliged  to,  I  am  sure." 

Van  Beuren,  deeply  distressed,  answered  :  "  Mrs. 
Oswald,  what  you  tell  me  grieves  me  beyond  words. 
I  cannot  express  to  you  my  astonishment.  I  see 
that  it  is  a  very  painful  topic,  and  I  do  not  ask  for 
an  explanation,  but  I  can  heartily  assure  you  of  the 
sympathy  and  respect  of  all  Jack's — I  mean  your 
husband's — friends.  We  have  all  learned  to  love 
you  and  to  consider  you  rather  as  one  of  us.  Mrs. 


38  AN   ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

Oswald,  I  can  say  no  more,  I  am  too  unhappy  to 
say  anything — "  and  with  a  sob  in  his  voice  the  big- 
hearted  fellow  clumsily  made  for  the  door. 

Clare  watched  him  go  without  a  word,  then  for 
the  first  time  she  broke  down  and  sobbed.  She 
buried  her  head  in  the  pillows  of  the  sofa  and 
moaned  bitterly :  "  Oh,  my  husband,  my  husband. 
You  have  broken  my  heart." 

Clare  had,  as  Van  Beuren  said,  become  immensely 
popular  with  Oswald's  friends.  She  was  so  full  of 
good  comradeship,  so  interested  in  them  and  in  all 
their  comings  and  goings.  She  was  no  prude  and 
preserved  withal  that  charming  womanly  quality 
which  always  appeals  to  men. 

That  day  she  had  sent  a  letter  to  her  husband. 
She  did  not  wish  to  see  him.  Yes,  she  yearned  to 
see  him  with  a  fierce,  almost  unconquerable,  yearn- 
ing,  yet  she  stifled  it,  knowing  that  he  was  not 
worthy.  Had  she  learned  only  the  first  part  of  the 
woman's  story  before  marriage,  she  in  her  guileless- 
ness  would  have  drawn  back.  She  never  would 
have  married  Jack  Oswald.  Learning  only  this 
afterwards,  she  would  have  felt  it  keenly,  but  would 
have  excused  it.  Endowed  with  much  of  her 
mother's  common-sense,  she  would  .have  said:  "I 
have  no  part  or  parcel  in  his  past  ;  our  life  com 
menced  to-day,  our  wedding  day."  But  this  fright 
ful  living  present  accusation — nay,  fact — a  child— 
his — out  of  wedlock — and  the  concealment  and  false 
pretense  of  it  all.  No,  better  nothing  than  a  sham. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  39 

She  could  not  see  him,  though  she  knew  that  he 
would  try  to  see  her,  try  to  effect  a  reconciliation, 
if  only  for  the  sight  of  the  outer  world.  So  think 
ing  she  sat  and  wrote  : 

"  Under  the  circumstances,  a  separation  is  the 
only  course.  I  shall  remain  with  my  mother. 
Should  you  wish  it  you  may  get  a  divorce.  I  will 
not  oppose  it.  Do  not  try  to  see  me  ;  I  shall  not 
willingly  meet  you  again."  She  signed  the  paper, 
sealed  the  envelope,  and  sent  it  to  his  house,  hers 
no  more.  This  done  she  tried  to  forget — tried  hard. 
Her  mother  had,  from  the  first,  an  inkling  of  the 
cause  of  her  child's  misfortune,  but  she  left  no 
stone  unturned  to  satisfy  herself  as  to  the  correct 
ness  of  her  suspicions.  She  had  had  interviews 
with  both  Van  Beuren  and  Balford  and  had  learned 
enough  of  Jack's  past  to  form  a  very  correct  esti 
mate  of  the  situation.  From  Clare  she  got  no 
enlightenment,  nor  did  she  blame  her  now  for  the 
step  she  had  taken.  Her  heart  bled  for  her  patient, 
suffering  child  and  her  resentment  toward  Jack  was 
correspondingly  severe.  Clare  took  most  comfort 
in  her  music,  and  her  voice,  as  she  played  and  sang, 
was  something  too  sad  and  pathetic.  It  contained 
the  true  feu  sacre.  .  .  . 

Why  describe  the  effect  produced  upon  Oswald 
on  his  return  from  his  trip?  It  was  as  if  a  shot  had 
pierced  his  heart!  His  first  impulse  was  to  go  to 
Clare  and  tell  her,  but  what  could  he  tell  her  now  ? 

He  had  arrived  at  ten  o'clock  at  night,    full  of 


40  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

the  anticipation,  anxious  to  tell  Clare  of  all  his  small 
adventures  and  then,  perhaps,  run  over  to  the  club  for 
a  little  while.  And  so  to  his  club  he  went  and  talked 
like  a  fool  and  forgot  everything  until  midday  of  the 
next  day,  when  he  found  himself  lying  on  his  own  bed 
dressed  as  he  had  come  from  the  trip,  with  Pierre  Van 
Beuren  by  his  side.  Pierre  had  brought  him  back 
from  the  club  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Os 
wald's  head  was  aching  badly,  but  he  sat  up  and  gaz 
ing  stupidly  about,  muttered,  "  Where's  Clare  ?  Oh,  I 
forgot,  didn't  she  go  somewhere,  or  something?" 

"  Lie  down,  old  man,  and  take  another  nap,"  said 
Van  Beuren  soothingly.  "  I'll  bring  you  a  cup  of 
coffee  in  a  moment  and  you'll  feel  all  right." 

"  No,  Van,  but  wasn't  something — didn't  some 
thing  happen?  My  God  !  Has  Clare  left  me?  "  and 
the  half-inebriated,  half-crazed  man  fell  back  on  his 
pillow  and  broke  into  sobs. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

CLARE  OSWALD'S  life  from  now  on  was  a  blank. 
She  walked  about  like  an  automaton  and  attended 
to  the  housekeeping  which  her  mother  had  put  in 
her  hands.  She  rarely  went  out.  Her  mother  in 
sisted  on  their  driving  in  the  Park  every  pleasant 
day,  but  she  would  see  none  of  the  friends  who 
called  save  Marie  Lincoln,  but  between  them  the 
painful  subject  was  never  referred  to.  Marie  had 
been  told  by  Mrs.  Lawrence  all  the  reasons  for  the 
change  in  Clare's  life  which  she  herself  knew,  and 
Marie  was  full  of  love  and  sympathy,  but  no  ques 
tion  or  word  of  curiosity  ever  escaped  her.  One 
day,  a  month  after  Clare  had  left  her  husband,  she 
sat  at  the  piano  thinking,  her  hands  quiet  upon  the 
keys.  The  butler  brought  her  a  letter.  "  The  boy 
is  waiting  for  an  answer,  Ma'am,"  he  said.  The 
writing  was  strangely  familiar,  but  she  was  at  a  loss 
to  identify  it.  There  was  a  suspicious  musky  smell 
about  the  envelope  that  seemed  to  Clare  to  recall 
something  disagreeable,  but  she  opened  it  mechan 
ically  and  read  : 

"MRS.  OSWALD, 

"  May  I  see  you  for  a  moment  to-day  or 
to-morrow.  I  am  afraid  I  may  be  too  ill  to  go  out 
in  a  few  days.  This  is  important. 

"  KITTY  ST.  CLAIR." 


42  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

A  look  of  horror  overspread  Clare's  face  as  she 
read,  and  the  letter  and  envelope  fell  from  her 
hands  as  though  she  had  been  stung.  Then  she 
recovered  herself,  and  taking  the  dainty  brass  tongs 
from  the  fireplace,  lifted  the  paper  to  the  flames 
and  watched  it  burn  ;  then  with  a  deep  sigh  she 
opened  the  door  and  said  to  the  servant,  who 
was  waiting,  "  Tell  the  messenger  there  is  no 
answer." 

Poor  girl!  how  white  and  thin  she  looked.  In 
her  snowy  gown,  unrelieved  by  colour,  her  pale  face 
had  an  ethereal,  angelic  look  in  which  resignation 
as  well  as  despair  could  be  read.  She  was  slowly 
pining  away,  and  both  her  mother  and  Marie  Lin 
coln  could  see  what  the  end  would  be.  It  might 
be  years  before  she  gave  way  completely,  but  they 
knew  that  Clare  was  of  the  mould  to  love  once  and 
for  all.  Doctor  Swift  was  called  in  one  day  without 
Clare's  knowledge  or  consent.  She  knew  him  well, 
and  yielded  with  a  pleasant  smile  to  his  cross  ex 
amination.  Finally  he  said : 

"  I  should  advise  you  to  go  away,  Mrs.  Oswald." 

"  Where  do  you  want  to  send  me,  Doctor?  " 

"  Well,  to  some  warm  climate  for  the  Winter, 
preferably  by  sea,  if  you  are  a  good  sailor." 

"  I  do  not  really  care,  Doctor,  but,  as  far  as  the 
sea  goes,  I  am  a  good  sailor." 

"What  do  you  say,  then,  to  Cuba  or  the 
Bahamas  ?  " 

"  Do  you  wish  me  to  go,  Mamma  ?  " 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  43 

"Yes,  dear,  if  the  doctor  advises  and  it  will  do 
you  good." 

"  Very  well,  I  will  go.  I  will  take  Cecile  and  go 
to  Nassau." 

"That  will  be  just  the  thing,"  said  Doctor  Swift, 
"  and  you  could  not  very  well  go  to  Cuba  just  now, 
as  things  are  so  upset  there." 

So  it  was  arranged  that  Clare  should  go  to  Nas 
sau,  taking  her  maid  with  her,  while  Mrs.  Lawrence 
and  Marie  Lincoln  would  follow  a  little  later  to 
come  back  with  her  in  the  early  spring. 

Doctor  Swift  had  told  Mrs.  Lawrence  that  he 
could  find  nothing  radically  wrong  with  her  daugh 
ter,  but  there  seemed  to  be  a  general  breaking 
down  of  her  nervous  system,  a  condition  which 
would  in  time  lead  to  a  state  of  nervous  exhaustion 
— and  this  would  react  on  her  general  health.  He 
advised  against  Mrs.  Lawrence  going  with  Clare,  as 
he  said  she  would  then  be  too  dependent,  but  if 
thrown  on  her  own  resources  the  necessity  of  doing 
for  herself  would  take  her  thoughts  from  her  great 
sorrow.  Then,  too,  a  change  in  environment  would 
keep  her  mind  and  memory  from  becoming  mor 
bid.  .  .  . 

As  the  El  Capitan  of  the  Wall  Line  steamed 
slowly  down  the  bay,  on  a  raw  December  day,  Clare 
Oswald  stood  as  far  astern  as  she  could  get,  and, 
with  dry  eyes  and  a  bursting  heart,  saw  the  great 
buildings  of  the  city,  the  Brooklyn  Bridge  and 
Statue  of  Liberty  fade  away  in  the  gathering  mist. 


44  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

She  had  not  noticed  her  fellow  passengers,  and, 
after  the  boat  got  outside  of  Sandy  Hook,  she  re 
tired  to  her  stateroom  on  deck.  She  found  Cecile 
arranging  her  wardrobe,  and  wondering  what  she 
should  do  with  the  wealth  of  flowers  which  made 
the  atmosphere  heavy  with  their  fragrance. 

Her  mother  and  Marie  Lincoln  had  come  to  see 
Clare  off,  and  many  others  had  sent  remembrances 
in  the  shape  of  fruit  and  delicacies.  The  deck 
steward  brought  a  package  of  letters  and  papers. 

"  Is  this  Mrs.  Oswald  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  Here  are  your  letters,  Ma'am  ;  they  were  left 
with  the  purser  last  mail,  just  as  we  cast  off." 

Clare  looked  them  over.  One  envelope  attracted 
her  attention.  It  bore  a  strange  handwriting,  and  in 
one  corner  was  an  underlined  word,  "  Important." 
It  had  been  forwarded  by  the  butler  with  the  rest 
from  her  home  that  morning.  She  opened  it  hur 
riedly  and  found  an  enclosure.  Another  envelope, 
addressed  in  that  hated  woman's  handwriting,  but 
scrawled  and  half  blotted,  almost  illegible.  Clare's 
impulse  was  to  crush  it  unopened  and  cast  it  into 
the  sea,  but  the  envelope  enclosing  it  and  marked 
"  Important  "  !  what  could  that  mean  ? 

"  Cecile,  go  down  and  see  the  head  steward  and 
give  him  this  money,  and  tell  him  who  it  is  from, 
and  get  me  a  quiet  seat  at  the  table,  but  near  this 
end  of  the  saloon." 

She  handed  her  maid  a  bill  as  she  spoke,  and,  as 


AN   ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  45 

soon  as  Cecile  had  gone,  she  opened  the  suspicious 
letter.  It  was  written  in  pencil  and  was  evidently 
the  result  of  much  physical  effort.  It  was  dated 
on  the  day  previous  and  read  : 

"  For  God's  sake,  Mrs.  Oswald,  come  and  see  a 
dying  woman  who  wishes  to  confess  her  baseness 
so  that  she  may  go  into  the  next  world  with  fewer 
sins  on  her  soul.  I  wish  to  tell  and  prove  to  you 
that  I  am  a  liar  and  a  forger.  I  want  to  bring  you 
back  to  your  husband.  What  I  have  said  about  the 
child  was  false.  The  certificate  was  forged.  I  have 
never  had  a  child.  In  the  name  of  Heaven,  come 
for  a  few  moments  to-day  or  to-morrow."  Here  it 
ended  with  an  attempt  at  signature.  The  scrawl 
fluttered  from  the  pallid  fingers  to  the  floor.  Clare 
sat  staring  at  the  wall  of  her  cabin.  Long  she  sat 
and  looked.  Her  eyes  would  not  close.  Her  body 
felt  numb.  She  could  not  raise  her  hands.  A  half 
hour  later,  Cecile,  having  had  her  supper,  came  into 
the  cabin.  There  sat  her  mistress  ;  she  might  have 
been  marble. 

"  Why,  Madame  Oswald,  qiiest  ce  que  cest  ?  Are 
you  not  well  ?  Let  me  get  you  some  eau  de  vie." 

"  No — thank — you,  Cecile,"  replied  Clare,  each 
word  coming  slowly  and  measured.  "  I — am— 
better — now." 

"  But,  Madame,  you  look  sotrtsfe,  so  ill,  have  you 
mat  de  mer  perhaps  ?  " 

"  No — Cecile — but — I — want — to — lie — down,  I— 
feel — faint—  '  and,  slowly  inclining  forward  with 


46  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

eyes  set,  she  would  have  fallen  to  the  floor  but  for 
the  strong  arms  of  Cecile,  who  placed  her  mistress 
on  the  sofa  and  then,  loosening  her  collar  and  corsets, 
bathed  her  white  and  bloodless  temples  with  eau 
de  cologne.  For  the  second  time  in  her  life  Clare 
had  fainted. 

Clare  remained  in  her  stateroom  that  night  and 
the  following  day.  "  What  shall  I  do,  what  shall  I 
do,"  was  the  unspoken  cry  through  that  night  and 
day.  She  knew  no  one,  could  consult  with  no  one. 
It  would  be  days  before  they  came  to  port  and 
then,  what  ?  What  dependence  could  she  place  on 
this  woman,  even  if  she  were  dying?  Yet  she  read 
the  truth  in  every  line.  She  must  cable  at  once  on 
landing.  She  must  take  the  next  boat  back,  back 
perhaps  to  Jack  !  Oh  !  God,  she  must  not  think  of 
that !  It  could  not  be.  Badly  as  she  had  been 
treated  by  fate,  that  would  be  too  heavenly. 

She  did  not  want  to  think  of  all  the  possibilities 
in  store  for  her,  but  unconsciously  she  was,  after 
twenty-four  hours,  becoming  almost  cheerful.  That 
Jack  was  innocent  of  what  she  had  considered  his 
deepest  sin  was  the  greatest  comfort  to  her;  the 
possibility  that  they  might  come  together  again 
made  her  heart  beat  fast  and  furious.  She  began 
to  take  a  little  interest  in  the  other  passengers. 
She  had  been  placed  at  the  Captain's  left.  Her  vis 
£  vis  was  a  Mr.  DeForest  from  Philadelphia,  and 
next  to  her  sat  a  Mr.  Howe  and  his  young  sixteen- 
year-old  daughter,  Belle.  Next  to  Mr.  DeForest 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  47 

was  a  Mr.  Alexander  Stone  of  New  York,  a  young 
fellow  of  pleasing  personnel,  who  was  taking  the  win 
ter  trip  for  his  health.  A  journalist,  George  Farr, 
completed  the  number  of  those  near  by  with  whom 
she  became  acquainted.  Her  sad,  Madonna-like 
face  created  a  general  interest  in  her,  as  was  natural 
on  shipboard,  and  the  surmise  in  the  smoking-room 
was  that  she  was  a  young  widow,  though  her  dress 
was  not  the  garb  of  deep  mourning,  for  though  she 
appeared  always  in  dark  or  subdued  colours,  there 
was  no  suggestion  of  crepe  upon  her  costume.  On 
the  third  evening  out,  Mr.  Stone  asked  her,  after 
dinner,  if  she  would  join  a  group  made  up  mostly 
of  her  immediate  table  companions.  She  had  been 
walking  the  deck  as  usual  with  Cecile,  who  oc 
cupied  the  sofa  in  her  stateroom,  and  was  her  con 
stant  and  sole  companion.  The  moon  was  at  its 
full  and  shining  with  cloudless  brilliancy.  The 
night  was  mild,  and  the  sea  smooth.  After  a 
second's  hesitation  Clare  accepted  the  invitation. 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Stone,  I  should  like  to  very 
much." 

"  We  wanted  to  have  a  little  music,  you  know. 
Do  you  sing,  Mrs.  Oswald  ;  you  look  as  though  you 
might." 

"  Yes,  I  sing  a  little,  but  you  must  excuse  me 
to-night,  Mr.  Stone  ;  I  haven't  sung  in  so  long  a  time 
that  I  fear  I  should  give  you  no  pleasure,  and  bring 
myself  no  credit." 

They  had  reached  the  jolly  laughing  party,  and 


48  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

the  men  all  jumped  to  give  Mrs.  Oswald  a  chair 
and  place  among  them.  Mr.  DeForest  had  a 
guitar  on  his  knees  and  had  been  strumming  some 
chords. 

"  How  strangely  the  moon  looks  to-night,"  said 
Miss  Howe.  "  It  is  quite  clear,  yet  that  enormous 
ring  or  halo, — don't  you  call  it, — makes  it  look 
queer.  I  wonder  what  a  real  sailor  would  say  it 
meant?  " 

"  If  I  was  in  dear  old  slow  Philadelphia,"  answered 
Mr.  DeForest,  "  I  should  say  that  to-morrow  would 
be  cloudy,  perhaps  a  storm,  but  we  are  almost  in 
the  tropics  now  and  I  won't  prophesy." 

"Give  us  a  song,  Mr.  DeForest,"  said  Stone. 

"  Well,  what  shall  it  be,  sentimental  or  comic  ?" 

"  What  a  question,  with  the  Goddess  of  Night 
trying  to  make  us  sentimental,"  spoke  up  Mr.  Farr. 

"  Well,  I'll  sing  'Thou  art  so  near  and  yet  so  far,' 
see  ?  " 

As  the  laugh  subsided  he  began,  in  his  low  but 
thrilling  baritone  voice,  Clare's  favourite  song, 
"  There  is  no  star  in  Heaven  to  guide  me — "  No  one 
saw  the  tears  spring  to  her  eyes.  Huddled  up  in 
her  rugs  she  listened  and  looked  up  at  the  vaulted 
sky,  and  as  she  gazed  she  thought  of  the  lines : 
"Watching  those  far-off  lights,  which  see  him,  whom 
I  long  to  see."  There  is  surely  a  comfort  sometimes 
even  in  misery,  and  as  Clare  listened,  a  quiet  feeling 
stole  over  her,  and  she  was  for  a  moment  almost 
contented.  As  the  words,  "  While  I  have  you, 


AN   ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  49 

sweetheart,  beside  me,"  died  away  on  the  still  air, 
some  one,  it  was  Stone,  said  softly : 

"  Won't  you  sing  something  ?" 

He  alone  had  noticed  her  emotion  and  he  pitied 
her.  He  knew  nothing  of  who  she  was  or  why  she 
was  there,  but  he  saw,  with  unusual  masculine  per 
ception,  that  she  was  unhappy  and  in  need  of 
friends. 

"  Yes,  I  will  try.  Can  you  accompany  me,  Mr. 
DeForest?  I  was  going  to  sing  'Could  I'  by 
Tosti." 

"  No,  I  am  afraid  that  is  beyond  me,  but  please 
sing  without  accompaniment,  Mrs.  Oswald." 

Clare  began  in  her  sympathetic  voice  :  "  Could  I 
but  come  to  thee  once,  but  once  only,  there  as  you 
sit  alone."  She  seemed  to  see  only  Jack  before  her. 
She  was  oblivious  to  all  surroundings.  Every  one 
read  the  story  in  her  voice,  and,  as  she  finished,  no 
one  sat  with  dry  eyes. 

After  a  little  further  desultory  conversation 
Clare  said :  "  I  shall  go  to  my  stateroom  now,  Mr. 
Stone,  if  you  will  escort  me.  I  feel  quite  chilly." 

"  There's  a  heart-broken  woman,  I'll  wager  any 
thing,"  said  Farr,  as  she  disappeared. 

Clare  could  not  sleep.  She  sat  up  and  read  for 
awhile  and  then  tried  to  write.  She  thought  of  the 
cable  she  would  send  and  wondered  when  she  could 
get  an  answer.  They  expected  to  reach  Nassau  at 
eleven  o'clock  on  the  following  morning.  Her 
rooms  at  the  hotel  were  already  engaged.  She 


50  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

must  be  up  early.  She  was  nervous  and  excited. 
She  heard  footsteps  on  the  deck  outside.  She  put 
out  the  light  and  looked  out  of  the  little  window. 
She  saw  DeForest  and  Stone  pacing  the  deck.  She 
overheard  DeForest  say : 

"  If  I  didn't  know  it  wasn't  so,  I  should  say  we 
were  near  shore  now.  Look  at  that  ripple  over 
there  ;  wouldn't  you  say,  up  north,  that  that  was 
shoal  water?  " 

Finally  Clare  lay  down  and  tried  to  sleep.  She 
heard  her  friends  say  good-night,  as  the  bells  an 
nounced  eleven-thirty.  At  twelve,  arid  again  at 
one,  she  still  heard  the  sailors  getting  the  baggage 
and  freight  from  the  hold  for  the  next  day's  debark 
ment  at  Nassau.  She  dozed  off  finally  and  knew 
nothing  until  she  was  suddenly  awakened  by  a  ter 
rific  crash  and  grating  sound.  It  was  as  though  a 
great  chain  was  tearing  the  keel  to  pieces.  Clare 
jumped  from  her  berth  and  listened.  There  was 
silence  for  an  instant,  and  then  a  confused  murmur 
of  voices  and  a  second  shock  worse  than  the  first. 

She  opened  the  door  of  her  stateroom  and  listened 
again.  She  saw  shadowy  forms  hurrying  along  the 
deck.  She  noticed  that  the  screw  had  stopped. 
The  great  ship 'had  a  list  and  the  stern  was  lower 
than  the  bow.  She  called  to  a  passing  figure. 

"  Haven't  we  struck  something?  " 

"  Yes,  mum,  we  are  on  a  reef,  I  think,"  answered 
the  sailor  as  he  hurried  by. 

She  was  not  frightened  now.     She  was   startled 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  51 

at  first.  She  went  back  and  began  to  dress.  Cecile 
was  up  and  cried  in  terror : 

"  Mais,  Madame,  we  will  be  drowned,  pauvre 
cherie,  and  it  is  raining,  and  you  will  catch  cold. 
Mon  Difu,  why  did  we  leave  New  York  !  " 

Stone  and  DeForest  both  came  to  her  cabin  door, 
and  knocking,  told  her  to  hurry,  as  the  boat  was 
slowly  sinking.  She  finally  appeared  on  deck  com 
pletely  dressed,  even  to  her  coat  and  cap.  Every 
thing  now  was  still.  No  one  spoke.  Then  there 
came  some  short,  quick  orders,  and  life  preservers 
were  passed  around.  Then  the  life  boats,  too  few 
in  number,  were  swung  out.  Two  men  took  off 
their  life  preservers,  already  strapped  on,  and  placed 
them  about  a  woman  and  child  who  had  none.  The 
Captain,  who  at  first  seemed  to  have  lost  his  head, 
finally  ordered  all  the  women  into  the  life  boats  as 
they  hung  on  the  davits.  The  ship  was  slowly  but 
surely  settling.  Then  followed  sad  partings  as 
fathers  and  husbands  bid  their  loved  ones  good-bye. 
Mr.  Howe  placed  his  daughter  in  the  boat,  and  lov 
ing  messages  were  exchanged  for  those  at  home,  in 
case  either  should  be  saved. 

The  El  Capitan  had  run  on  a  coral  reef  and  the 
danger  was  that  she  might  slide  off  backwards  into 
deep  water.  Many  of  the  men  took  to  the  rafts. 
The  women  were  all  huddled  together  in  the  boats. 
The  rain  was  pouring  down  and  the  salt  spray 
dashed  over  them.  From  time  to  time  a  voice  was 
heard : 


52  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"  Water  up  to  ports,  sir." 

"  Water  half-way  up  port  holes,  sir." 

"  Water  above  ports,  sir." 

The  suspense  was  terrible  and  the  silence  made 
it  still  worse.  Clare  felt  intensely  for  those  cowed 
and  frightened  beings  around  her.  The  women 
were  all  weeping,  and  an  unconquerable  desire  to 
cheer  them  took  possession  of  her,  and,  from  a  sud 
den  inspiration,  she  began  to  sing  old  familiar  bal 
lads,  such  as  all  knew  and  loved.  At  first  her  voice 
showed  a  slight  tremor,  then  rang  clear  and  sweet 
out  through  the  ship  and  deep  into  the  rain  and 
mist,  soothing  and  strengthening  every  heart  that 
heard  it.  Then  the  Captain  gave  orders  to  have  the 
boat  lowered.  The  ship's  stern  was  now  level  with 
the  water.  Guns  had  been  fired  and  rockets  sent 
up  for  the  last  hour.  The  Captain,  knowing  they 
must  be  near  land,  decided  to  try  and  send  the 
women  ashore.  The  night  before  he  had  looked  in 
vain  for  the  beacon  of  the  light-ship  anchored  at 
the  northerly  extremity  of  the  line  of  dangerous 
reefs.  Not  seeing  it,  he  had  concluded  that  it  was 
out  of  order.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  was  twenty- 
five  miles  out  of  his  course.  The  first  boat  was 
lowered  with  part  of  the  women.  The  second  officer 
was  in  command,  with  four  stokers  to  row. 

Clare  and  poor  shivering  Cecile  were  in  this  boat. 
They  made  but  little  headway  and  were  shouting 
back  their  last  good-byes,  when,  to  the  horror  of  all, 
the  boat  was  seen  to  keel  over  abruptly,  and  then 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  53 

capsize.  In  the  glimmering  dawn  one  person  after 
another  appeared  floating  and  wildly  grasping  the 
air.  Another  boat  was  hurriedly  emptied  as  it  hung 
on  its  supports,  and  rowed  as  quickly  as  possible 
out  into  the  darkness.  They  returned  after  half  an 
hour  with  but  four  of  the  ill-fated  party,  three  pas 
sengers  found  clinging  to  oars  and  flotsam,  and  one 
of  the  crew. 

No  cries,  no  sounds  were  heard.  The  steamer  had 
settled  on  the  rock  and  the  Captain  decided  to  wait 
until  dawn.  When  Cecile  was  restored  to  conscious 
ness,  she  called  and  cried  for  her  mistress,  but  in 
vain.  Clare  Oswald  was  among  the  missing. 


CHAPTER  V. 

AFTER  a  few  unsuccessful  attempts  to  see  and 
have  an  interview  with  his  wife,  Jack  Oswald  gave 
himself  up  to  silent  despair.  His  apartment  was 
closed  and  he  took  rooms  not  far  from  the  club. 
All  New  York  soon  knew  that  he  and  his  wife  had 
separated,  and  many  theories  and  conjectures  were 
advanced  to  explain  it.  His  married  life  had,  to 
outward  appearances,  been  quite  ideal.  His  wife 
had  become  immensely  popular.  "  What  a  good 
fellow  she  would  have  made  had  she  been  a  man," 
was  the  general  estimate  of  her,  by  her  men  friends, 
and  could  masculine  approbation  have  said  more? 

At  first  Jack  plunged  into  the  dissipation  of  drink. 
He  had  thought  of  suicide  in  his  early  frenzy,  but 
though  weak  in  many  ways,  this  had  always  seemed 
to  him  nothing  but  cowardice.  He  had,  one  night, 
taken  up  his  pistol  and  fondled  it  and  thought  how 
easy  it  would  be  to  end  all  his  sorrows  by  putting 
the  touch  of  the  little  toy  upon  his  temple. 

But  the  thought  of  his  mother,  whom  he  had  not 
knpwn,  and  his  father,  whose  memory  he  revered, 
came  to  him  and  stopped  him.  He  knew  that  there 
was  no  hope  for  him  now  that  his  own  wrrong  doing 
and  Kitty's  wish  for  revenge  had  come  between 
them.  He  knew  it  all.  He  had  never  seen  the 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  55 

child,  he  had  not  cared  to,  but  he  had  heard  that 
Kitty  St.  Clair  had  been  obliged  to  give  up  her  en 
gagement  at  the  Empire  for  three  weeks,  back  in 
September,  and  that  she  was  again  ill  and  shut  up 
in  her  apartments. 

He  went  to  his  business  every  day,  but  did  his 
work  in  the  most  perfunctory  and  mechanical 
way.  He  usually  dined  at  the  club  alone,  or  occa 
sionally  with  Van  Beuren  or  Ernest  Balford.  At 
first  his  friends  tried  to  interest  him  in  things  that 
he  had  liked  before  marriage,  but  after  awhile  they 
gave  it  up  and  allowed  him  to  follow  his  own  de 
sires.  The  supports  of  his  life  had  dropped  out, 
and  the  ruin,  his  own  ruin,  was  all  that  was  left. 

One  night,  a  month  after  the  separation,  he  and 
Van  were  dining  together  at  the  club.  Toward 
the  end  of  the  meal,  Van  said : 

"  I  hope  Mrs.  Oswald  will  be  benefitted  by  her 
trip,  Jack." 

"  What  trip,  Van  ?  " 

"  Why,  I  am  told  that  she  sailed  day  before  yes 
terday  for  Nassau  on  the  El  Capitan" 

"  I  did  not  know  it,  Van.  I  hope  she  will  be 
better." 

"  Excuse  me,  dear  boy,  for  speaking  of  it.  I  sus 
pected  you  might  not  know  it,  and  thought  to  tell 
you  in  this  way,"  answered  Van,  seeing  the  look  of 
hopelessness  in  his  friend's  face. 

"  Don't  excuse  yourself,  Van,  I  know  how  deeply 
you  feel  for  me,  but  I  deserve  no  sympathy." 


56  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"  Nonsense,  Jack.  You  have  had  hard  luck. 
You  have  done  nothing  radically  wrong,  only  had 
hard  luck.  Curses  on  the  women  anyway." 

"  I've  killed  my  wife,  that's  all,"  said  Jack;  and 
Van  Beuren  saw  that  he  wished  the  conversation  to 
drop. 

They  went  down  to  the  cafe  for  their  coffee,  and, 
on  the  way  past  the  letter-boxes,  Jack,  from  force 
of  habit,  opened  his.  To  his  surprise,  there  was  a 
note.  He  glanced  at  it  but  the  feminine  hand 
writing  was  unknown  to  him.  As  soon  as  he  was 
alone,  he  opened  it  curiously  and  read,  written  in 
pencil : 

"  West  24th  St. 
"  MR.  JOHN  OSWALD, 
"  DEAR  SIR,-— 

"  Miss  St.  Clair,  who  I  believe  is  an  old 
friend  of  yours,  is  dying  of  consumption.  She  may 
not  live  another  twenty-four  hours.  She  begs  that 
you  will  come  to  see  her,  as  she  has  important 
papers  to  give  you.  She  is  delirious  much  of  the 
while,  and,  at  such  times,  talks  of  some  crime  she 
has  done  and  asks  forgiveness  from  you.  You  can 
judge  for  yourself  as  to  whether  you  should  come 
or  not. 

"  Respectfully, 

"ADA  COOK,  Nurse." 

Oswald  sat  for  some  moments  holding  the  note 
in  his  hand.  What  could  it  mean  ?  Pity  or  sym 
pathy  for  the  dying  woman  played  no  part  in  his 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  57 

thoughts,  but  the  words,  "  some  crime  she  had 
done,"  and  "  asks  forgiveness."  What  crime  could 
she  refer  to  unless  that  of  foisting  a  child  on  him 
which  did  not  belong  to  him?  What  else  could  it 
be  for  which  she  should  ask  forgiveness  ?  "  Good 
God !  "  Oswald  sprang  to  his  feet.  His  only 
thought  was  to  go  to  her  at  once,  for  the  suspense 
of  waiting  would  be  unbearable  and  possibly  fatal. 
He  went  to  the  coat-room,  and,  a  fc\v  moments  later, 
was  hurrying  across  the  square.  He  turned  into 
Twenty-fourth  Street  and  hurried  westward.  A 
wet  snow  was  falling,  and,  in  his  haste,  he  had  for 
gotten  his  overshoes  and  his  patent  leathers  were 
wet  through  before  he  had  traversed  a  block.  He 
dodged  an  ambulance  which  went  clanging  up 
Eighth  Avenue,  and  the  flying  mud  bespattered  his 
overcoat. 

He  reached  the  well-known  number  and  leaped 
up  the  steps.  An  almost  hysterical  excitement  had 
seized  him.  His  temples  throbbed  and  his  mind 
was  not  fully  under  control.  He  had  never  thought 
to  cross  that  threshold  again,  but  now  he  knew  that 
he  must  see  the  woman  who  had  ruined  hishappiness, 
before  it  was  too  late.  He  must  wring  from  her  an  ex 
planation  of  the  words,  "  some  crime  she  had  done." 

A  coloured  servant  opened  the  door. 

"  I  wish  to  see  Miss  Ada  Cook,  who,  I  believe, 
is  nursing  Miss  St.  Clair." 

"  Yes,  sir,  but  I  don't  think  she  can  leave  Miss 
St.  Clair ;  she  is  very  low,  they  tell  me." 


58  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"  You  go  and  give  my  message ;  say  it  is  Mr. 
Oswald,"  and  he  pressed  a  silver  coin  into  her  hand. 

"All  right,  sir,  I'll  see." 

A  little  whispered  conversation  could  be  heard  at 
the  top  of  the  stairs,  and  then  the  steps  of  some 
one  descending,  and  a  sweet-faced  woman,  with 
greyish  hair,  neat  in  her  simple  gown,  with  white 
cap  and  cuffs,  entered  the  little  parlour. 

"  This  is  Mr.  Oswald  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  I  am  Miss  Cook,  the  nurse  of  Miss  St.  Clair. 
The  patient  is  very  low,  Mr.  Oswald,  but  I  am  going 
to  let  you  see  her,  for  her  sake,  as  the  doctor  has 
consented.  She  may  rally  a  little  if  she  can  get 
this  trouble  off  her  mind,  poor  soul.  Night  and 
day  she  is  worrying  over  it.  Will  you  follow  me?" 

The  nurse  led  the  way  up  to  the  second  story 
front  room.  In  the  dim  light,  as  they  entered,  Jack 
could  see  nothing  at  first.  There  was  an  odour  of 
medicine  and  disinfectants  in  the  air.  Gradually  he 
could  make  out  the  piano  and  the  draperies  of  the 
alcove,  where  the  dainty  brass  bed  stood.  The 
nurse  parted  the  curtains  and  Jack  started  as  he 
looked  at  the  figure  lying  there.  Could  that  be 
Kitty  St.  Clair !  He  turned  with  the  question  almost 
on  his  lips,  but  the  nurse  shook  her  head.  Could 
that  object  there  on  the  bed  be  Kitty  St.  Clair! 
She  was  breathing  in  short,  catchy  gasps — her  eyes 
and  lips  half  open,  the  lips  dry  and  parched.  Her 
skin  was  very  white  and  looked  like  parchment,  so 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  59 

tightly  was  it  drawn  over  the  cheek  bones.  Every 
vestige  of  colour  and  flesh  was  gone.  And  this  was 
what  was  left  of  sparkling,  laughing,  beautiful 
Kitty  !  At  first  Jack  could  not  believe  it,  but  as 
he  gazed,  she  began  to  move  and  mumble  some  un 
intelligible  words.  He  leaned  over  her  to  catch 
them.  He  thought  he  heard  his  own  name.  He  also 
caught  the  words  "liar,"  "  forgery"  and  "  baby  "— 
His  heart  was  beating  now  like  a  trip  hammer  and 
way  up  in  his  throat. 

He  turned  with  livid  face  to  the  nurse  and  said 
slowly,  but  with  a  voice  of  such  absolute  command 
as  not  to  be  disobeyed  : 

"  Wake  her  and  make  her  talk." 

The  nurse  leaned  over  and,  taking  the  skeleton 
hand  in  hers,  said  gently  : 

"  Kitty,  Kitty,  some  one  has  come  to  see  you." 

The  girl  opened  her  eyes  slowly,  and  fixed  them 
on  Jack  Oswald's  face.  She  looked  long  and  stupidly 
and  then  the  eyes  slowly  closed  again,  and  a  little 
sigh  of  apparent  contentment  escaped  the  thin  pur 
ple  lips. 

"  Make  her  talk,"  said  Jack  almost  savagely, 
grasping  the  nurse's  wrist  as  in  a  vice. 

"  Kitty,  Kitty,"  said  she.  "  This  is  Mr.  Oswald, 
whom  you  wanted  to  see." 

The  eyes  opened  again  and  gazed  at  Jack. 
Gradually  a  little  intelligence  seemed  to  come  into 
them.  With  a  fearful  effort  Jack  said  : 

"  Kitty,  do  you  know  me — Jack  ?  " 


60  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

The  voice  seemed  to  bring  with  it  memory  and 
words,  and  she  tried  to  say  something,  but  her  lips 
and  tongue  would  not  articulate.  The  nurse 
moistened  her  lips  and  the  girl  seemed  to  rouse  her 
self.  Jack  began  again  : 

"  Kitty,  this  is  Jack — Jack  Oswald.  Do  you  wish 
to  say  something  to  me  ?  " 

The  slightest  suspicion  of  a  nod  said  "  Yes." 

"  Take  this,  Kitty,"  said  the  nurse  gently,  as  she 
put  the  medicine  glass,  containing  some  aromatic 
spirits  of  ammonia  and  brandy,  to  her  lips. 

Revived  a  little,  she  made  as  if  to  reach  for  Jack. 
Divining  her  thought,  he  leaned  low  over  the  bed 
to  catch  her  whispers.  In  disjointed  sentences  and 
with  frightened  eyes,  she  murmured :  "  False,"  "  no 
baby," — "  forgery," — "  revenge,"  and  her  head  sank 
further  down  in  the  white  pillow,  while  a  tiny  gurg 
ling  sound  was  heard  deep  in  her  bosom.  She 
made  another  effort  and  with  eyes  staring  up  at  the 
ceiling  she  whispered:  "  Papers,"  "  proof,"  "take 
them,"  "  go  to  wife," — and  as  she  spoke,  her  white, 
almost  transparent  hand  moved  a  few  inches  toward 
her  pillow. 

"  I  know  what  she  wishes,  Mr.  Oswald,  a  packet 
of  papers  under  her  pillow." 

The  dying  eyes  wandered  to  the  nurse,  and  a 
wan  effort  to  smile  showed  that  the  nurse  had 
guessed  correctly.  She  handed  the  packet  to 
Oswald  and  again  the  eyes  slowly  said  "Yes." 
Oswald's  breath  came  short  and  quick.  He  had 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  61 

caught  the  spirit  of  the  conspiracy  against  him  of 
which  these  papers  evidently  held  the  proofs.  The 
glassy  eyes  of  the  sick  girl  were  fixed  on  his,  then  a 
strange  look  came  over  the  face,  a  little  red  froth 
just  showed  at  the  corner  of  the  mouth,  and,  with 
one  deep  sigh  of  relief,  poor  Kitty  was  dead. 

Oswald  stepped  at  once  into  the  parlour  while  the 
nurse  composed  the  stiffening  figure,  and  without 
delay  tore  open  the  bundle  of  papers. 

The  first  paper  was  the  birth  certificate,  which,  as 
Oswald  looked  wildly  at  it,  seemed  to  bear  the  stamp 
of  genuineness — duly  signed,  and  endorsed  "  folio 
466  !  "  Pinned  to  it,  however,  was  a  sheet  of  note 
paper  containing  Kitty's  confession,  as  follows  : 

"  This  certificate  with  signatures  is  a  forgery.  I 
paid  Dr.  Wm.  Smith,  of  West  Houston  Street,  one 
hundred  dollars  for  getting  the  printed  blank  from 
the  Board  of  Health  and  for  making  it  out  and  sign 
ing  it.  I  represented  to  him  that  I  wanted  to  use 
it  to  bring  a  lover  to  terms  and  would  destroy  it. 
Doctor  Smith  is  now  in  New  Jersey  somewhere, 
see  other  enclosures.  He  tried  to  blackmail  me 
and  I  kept  the  letter  to  prove  what  I  say.  I  have 
never  had  a  child.  As  I  hope  for  forgiveness  in  the 
next  world,  I  swear  that  this  is  the  truth. 

"  KITTY  ST.  CLAIR." 

"  I  also  swear  that  I  have  never  seen  Mr.  John 
Oswald  nor  heard  from  him  since  the  time  he  wrote 
me  his  intention  of  getting  married  and  sent  me 
money,  six  months  before  his  wedding." 

The  next  enclosure  was  a  letter  signed  "  W.  S." 


62  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

and  written  on  office  paper  bearing  the  name  at  the 
top  :  "  Wm.  Smith,  M.  D.  Office  hours  8-1 1.  Sun- 
days  by  appointment."  This  was  evidently  a 
blackmailing  letter  and  read  : 

"  Kitty  St.  Clair — Send  me  to  General  Post  Office, 
Perth  Amboy,  New  Jersey,  one  hundred  dollars 
cash,  or  I  will  see  our  gullible  friend  O.  and  tell  him 
a  few  things  about  you  and  the  spurious  kid." 

This  was  enough !  Oswald  was  free  once  more 
to  ask  Clare  to  come  back.  The  proof  that  he  had 
been  falsely  accused  was  much  clearer  and  more 
positive  than  the  story  which  had  torn  his  wife 
from  his  side. 

He  left  the  apartments  for  the  last  time  and  he 
hurried  back  to  his  rooms.  He  was  still  too 
excited  to  think  clearly,  as  he  sat  in  hislittle  parlour 
with  the  packet  of  papers  in  his  hand.  Suddenly  he 
remembered  Van  Beuren's  words :  "  I  was  told 
that  she  had  sailed  day  before  yesterday  for  Nassau." 
How  long,  he  wondered,  would  it  take  to  get  to 
Nassau.  He  thought  it  was  about  a  three-days  trip. 
He  jumped  to  his  feet,  thinking  to  find  Van  at  once 
and  find  out  what  he  knew. 

It  was  now  nearly  midnight,  but  if  Van  had  gone 
to  the  theatre  he  would  be  quite  likely  to  be  at  the 
club  at  this  time.  Over  there  the  hall  captain  told 
him  that  Mr.  Van  Beuren  had  come  in  fifteen  min 
utes  before  and  was  still  in  the  cafe".  He  walked 
back  and  not  only  found  Van  Beuren  but  Haswell, 
Balford,  Jennings  and  Brown  arguing  over  the  foot- 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  63 

ball  chances  in  the  great  game  to  take  place  on  Sat 
urday. 

"  They  say  that  Yale  is  going  to  protest  Bos- 
worth,"  Haswell  was  saying. 

"  On  what  grounds?"  asked  Jennings. 

"  Well,  he  graduated  la.st  year  and  has  taken  a 
post-graduate  course,  but  only  came  back  three 
weeks  ago,  and  some  disgruntled  Harvard  substi 
tute,  it  is  reported,  has  informed  the  Yale  men  that, 
under  the  rule,  Bosworth  is  not  eligible,  but  I  don't 
think  anything  will  come  of  it." 

"Yale  has  always  been  pretty  square  about  such 
things ;  perhaps  she  felt  that  she  had  to  take  some 
notice  of  the  matter,"  answered  Balford. 

Jack  leaned  over  Van's  back  and  asked  if  he  could 
see  him  for  a  moment.  Van  had  not  seen  Jack 
enter,  and  started  as  he  spoke  and  answered : 

"  Of  course,  old  man." 

"  If  you  don't  mind,  Van,  let's  go  up  stairs  where 
we  can  be  alone." 

"  All  right." 

In  one  of  the  smaller  library  rooms,  they  found 
the  desired  privacy,  and  Jack  began  at  once: 

"Van,  what  do  you  know  about  my  wife's  sailing 
for  Nassau." 

"  Why,  one  of  the  fellows,  I  forget  who,  saw  it  in 
the  papers  and  showed  it  to  me.  I  went  up  and 
called  on  Mrs.  Oswald's  mother,  and  she  told  me 
that  your  wife  was  not  well  and  the  doctor  had 


64  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

ordered  the  change.  She  sailed  the  other  day  on 
the  El  Capitan  with  her  maid." 

"  How  long  does  it  take  to  go  to  Nassau,  Van  ?  " 

"  About  four  days,  I  think.  Let  me  see,  she  ought 
to  be  there  to-morrow  some  time."  Van  Beuren 
was  puzzled  at  the  cross  examination  and  felt  sure 
that  something  was  coming. 

"  Van,  it  has  all  been  a  horrid  mistake." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Jack  ?  " 

"  I  mean,  Van,  that  that  woman  who  separated 
Clare  and  me  is  dead — died  to-night,  and  before 
dying  confessed  a  story  of  lying,  forgery  and  base 
ness  which  would  be  hardly  credible  had  she  not 
also  left  the  proofs." 

Then  Oswald  told  connectedly  the  story  of  the 
message  from  Kitty  and  the  interview.  He  showed 
Van  the  forged  birth  certificate  and  the  blackmail 
ing  letter. 

"  Good  Heavens,  Jack,  this  is  strange  and  roman 
tic,  too.  What  do  you  propose  doing?  " 

"I  don't  know,  Van;  I  want  you  to  advise  and 
help  me.  My  first  impulse  was  to  go  at  once  to 
Nassau,  or  wherever  Clare  is  ;  then  I  thought  it 
would  be  better  to  send  a  long  cablegram.  It  is  all 
so  sudden  that  I  can't  think  calmly." 

Van  Beuren  sat  for  some  moments  in  silence  and 
then  said : 

"  Jack,  I  had  better  go  to  Mrs.  Lawrence  first 
and  explain  the  whole  matter.  I  doubt  even  now 
if  she  knows  exactly  what  separated  you  and  Clare. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  65 

Then  she  and  I  can  concoct  a  cable  or  letter,  for 
perhaps  a  letter  will  do.  It  depends  on  the  sailings, 
and  you  can  follow  the  cable.  I  think  the  sailings 
are  on  Tuesdays.  Yes,  a  cable  would  be  best." 

"  Thank~you,  Van.  That  without  doubt  would  be 
the  best  thing  to  do ;  can  you  say  something  from 
me  in  the  cable  ?" 

"  By  Jove,  Jack,  it  does  me  good  to  see  you  com 
ing  back  to  yourself  again,  but  you  know  I  can't 
see  Mrs.  Lawrence  until  morning,  so  you  must  go 
home  now  and  have  a  good  sleep  and  quit  worrying. 
It  looks  to  me  as  though  daylight  was  breaking  at 
last  for  you  both." 

So  the  friends  parted.  Van  Beuren  called  at  the 
Lawrence  house  at  ten  the  next  morning,  but  was 
informed  that  Mrs.  Lawrence  would  be  out  of  town 
until  three  o'clock  that  afternoon.  Jack  received 
the  news  with  considerable  disappointment,  but  the 
prospect  of  having  his  dear  wife  and  home  once  more 
was  so  rosy,  that  he  could  not  conceal  his  happiness. 
The  customers  in  the  office,  and  fellow  brokers  on  the 
floor  of  the  exchange,  wondered  at  the  change,  but 
no  one  knew  the  reason.  Van  Beuren  said  nothing 
when  questioned,  excepting  that  he  was  glad 
enough  there  was  a  change  and  that  he  hoped  Jack 
would  soon  be  himself  again. 

Jack  and  Van  went  up  town  together  that  after 
noon  shortly  after  the  closing.  Oswald  was  most 
impatient  and  insisted  that  Van  should  go  at  once 
to  call  on  Mrs.  Lawrence  while  he  would  go  to  the 


66  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

club  and  wait  there  for  news.  So  they  parted  at 
Twenty-third  Street,  Van  taking  an  up-town  car  and 
Jack  crossed  to  the  club. 

Oswald  found  a  handful  of  members  there,  only  a 
few  of  whom  he  knew,  so  he  took  a  paper  and  settled 
himself  in  the  corner  furthest  from  the  door.  He 
had  become  so  reserved  and  silent  of  late  that  his 
acquaintances,  and  even  friends,  left  him  alone. 
He  tried  to  read,  but  Clare's  face  would  come  before 
the  page.  He  ran  over  in  his  mind  all  about  their 
coming  meeting.  He  knew  that  Clare  loved  him  still. 
Her  respect  for  him  had  been  shattered,  her  pride  had 
been  fearfully  offended,  but  he  had  no  more  doubt  of 
her  loving  him  than  of  his  existence  at  that  moment. 

A  moralist  would  say  that  when  respect  goes, 
love  at  the  same  time  takes  wing,  but  it  is  not  so 
with  a  woman  who  has  thrown  her  whole  life  and 
soul  into  one  love. 

As  Jack  read,  two  men  entered  the  reading  room, 
whom  he  knew  by  sight  merely.  They  sat  on  the 
sofa  near  by,  and  rang  for  a  waiter. 

"That  was  a  nasty  accident  off  Nassau,  Tom." 

"  Yes,  if  reports  are  true.    How  many  were  lost  ?  " 

"  The  paper  says  six." 

"It  seems  to  have  been  criminal  negligence  on 
some  one's  part.  They  say  the  steamer  was  twenty 
odd  miles  out  of  her  course." 

"  Yes,  and  no  discipline,  not  enough  life  boats 
nor  men,  only  nine  or  ten  men  before  the  mast,  and 
an  old  reliable  line  like  the  Wall  too  ;  it's  amazing." 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  67 

At  the  first  sentence  Oswald  lowered  his  paper 
and  listened.  "  Off  Nassau  " — "  Steamer  " — "  Wall 
Line." 

A  queer,  creepy  feeling  began  to  run  over  his 
body.  He  got  up  and  walked  over  to  where  all  the 
papers  lay. 

He  picked  up  the  first  edition  of  the  Evening 
Telegram.  He  looked  feverishly  at  the  headings, 
but  saw  nothing.  Rather  than  look  further,  he 
walked  over  to  the  sofa  and  said  : 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  but  I  overheard  one  of  you 
say  something  about  an  accident  to  a  Wall  Line 
steamer  near  Nassau.  Do  you  remember  her 
name  ?" 

"  Yes,  Mr.  Oswald,  the  ElCapitan" 

An  involuntary  "  My  God,"  escaped  Oswald's 
lips,  as  he  snatched  the  paper  from  the  little  table. 

It  was  an  "  Extra  "  World.  The  great  headlines 
read  : 

"  RAN  ON  A  CORAL  REEF  SIXTY  MILES  OFF  NASSAU." 

"SIX  LIVES  KNOWN  TO  BE  LOST." 
"ONE  CABIN  PASSENGER  AND  FIVE  CREW." 

"  NAMES  OF  LOST." 
44  MRS.  JOHN  OSWALD." 

Oswald  uttered  a  deep  groan.  He  reached  for 
support,  but  finding  none,  fell  forward  limp  and 
livid  in  a  confused  mass,  carrying  table  and  glasses 
with  him. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

"  WELL,  what  do  you  think  of  it?" 

"  Oh,  it's  all  right  and  I  am  glad  it's  over.  I  had 
very  grave  doubts  at  one  time  whether  it  would 
really  come  to  pass." 

The  first  remark  was  addressed  to  Pierre  Van 
Beuren  by  Ernest  Balford.  They  were  speaking  of 
Jack  Oswald's  second  marriage,  which  had  just 
taken  place,  his  marriage  to  Katherine  Lowden. 

Five  years  had  passed  since  the  events  described 
in  the  previous  chapters. 

"  Well,  Jack  will  be  happier  and  his  new  wife 
seems  fond  of  him." 

"  Yes,  he  was  undergoing  a  process  of  dry  rot,  as 
the  carpenters  say,  but  between  you  and  me,  I  have 
always  thought  that  Miss  Lowden  was  influenced 
somewhat  by  a  desire  to  get  into  society  here." 

"  Who  were  they  anyway — the  name  is  not  a  New 
York  one?  " 

"  No,  they  came  on  here  two  years  ago  from 
Cincinnati.  Pere  Lowden  had  made  a  fortune,  a 
big  one,  I  believe,  in  pork  or  lard,  and,  as  usual,  the 
ladies  wanted  a  larger  field  for  their  social  ambitions. 
They  didn't  make  a  howling  success  of  it  at  first, 
but  they  have  persevered  and  edged  their  way 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  69 

along  from  one  clique  to  another,  until  now  they 
have  quite  a  calling  list." 

"  The  young  woman  is  distinctly  stylish,  as  they 
say,  and,  but  for  a  suspicion  of  loudness,  would 
pass  muster  anywhere." 

"Yes,  and  the  old  man  knows  enough  to  hold  his 
tongue,  but  the  mother  would  be  a  handicap  any 
where." 

"  Where  are  they  going  to  live?  "  asked  Ernest. 

"  They  haven't  decided  yet,  but  I  heard  to-day 
that  Haswell  is  making  up  a  party  to  go  to  the 
Mediterranean  on  his  boat  for  the  winter.  I'm  told 
she  is  a  beauty,  and  he  has  asked  Jack  and  his  bride 
to  join  the  party." 

"  Will  he  go,  do  you  think  ?  " 

"  Will  she  go,  you  mean.  Jack  is  to  be  a  passive 
personage  in  this  new  manage" 

"You  mean  that  she  has  a  forceful  character?" 

"Yes,"  answered  Van  Beuren,  "that  is  a  nice 
description,  I  think ;  very  choice  diction.  I  don't 
want  to  be  uncharitable,  but  Jack  introduced  me 
to  her  when  he  first  became  engaged,  and,  although 
I  am  no  mind  reader,  I  think  her  general  character 
is,  as  you  put  it,  'forceful.'" 

"  What  a  fearful  tragedy  his  first  marriage  turned 
out." 

"Yes,  it  was  a  tragedy,  sure  enough.  Events 
heaped  themselves  together  in  such  a  short  time, 
and  in  such  lurid  fashion.  Good  Lord  !  it  was  like 
a  melodrama." 


70  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"  Poor  old  man,  he  could  scarcely  be  recognised 
now  as  that  merry  Jack  Oswald  of  five  and  a  half 
years  back.  Yet  physically  he  is  not  much  changed, 
a  tinge  of  grey  at  his  temples  and  in  his  moustache, 
and  these  only  make  him  look  more  distinguished. 
There  comes  Haswell  now." 

"  Take  something,  Charlie  ?  " 

"Thank  you,  I  will.  I  hate  champagne,  and  I 
drank  the  health  of  the  bride  and  groom  and  all  the 
Lowden  family  so  many  times  this  afternoon  that 
my  throat  feels  as  dry  as  a  cotton  gin." 

"  Well,  a  cocktail  would  be  the  proper  antidote," 
laughed  Van  Beuren.  "  By  the  way,  I  heard  some 
thing  of  a  yachting  trip,  Charles ;  no  secret,  I  sup 
pose?" 

"  No,  that  is  partly  what  brought  me  out  of  my 
way  to  the  club.  When  a  fellow  starts  at  Sixty- 
first  Street  to  go  to  his  rooms  in  Forty-fifth,  and 
takes  a  route  via  the  club  in  Twenty-fifth,  it  must 
mean  something  more  than  a  drink." 

"  When  you  get  entirely  through  with  your  pero 
ration,  let's  have  the  story,"  said  Balford. 

"  There  is  no  story  about  it,  but  I  want  to  know 
whether,  if  I  make  up  a  party  to  go  to  Egypt  on  the 
Ailsa,  you  two  fellows  will  aid  and  abet  with  your 
presence.  We  would  start  now  in  three  or  four 
weeks,  go  by  way  of  Gibraltar,  Malta,  and  Alexan 
dria,  thence  to  Cairo,  and  up  the  Nile  in  a  dahabeah, 
and  so  on." 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  71 

"  By  Jove,  Charlie,  that  is  an  awfully  attractive 
programme  ;  are  you  serious?"  said  Van. 

"  Well,  I  should  say  it  is  attractive,"  echoed  Bal- 
ford. 

"  What  would  it  cost,  Charlie  ?  "  asked  Van. 

"  Why,  I  have  the  boat  and  have  already  engaged 
the  dahabeah,  so  all  you  fellows  would  have  to 
spend  would  be  what  you  wanted  to  lay  out  in 
curios  and  clothes." 

41  Holy  smoke  !  but  I  should  love  to  go,"  said  Bal- 
ford  ;  "and  you,  Van,  can  you  leave  the  whirl  of 
Wall  Street  for  so  long  a  time  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,  but  I'll  tell  you  fellows 
a  small  secret,  which  may  have  a  bearing  on  my 
movements.  Jack  and  I  close  our  partnership  on 
the  first  of  January.  We  decided  to  do  so  some 
time  since ;  perfectly  friendly,  you  know,  but  Jack 
didn't  want  to  stay  in  the  Street,  and  I  shall  go  on 
alone.  If  we  could  liquidate  a  month  earlier,  I  be 
lieve  I  would  seriously  contemplate  the  trip.  I  can 
start  alone  again  in  the  Spring  just  as  well." 

"  Good  enough,  and  how  about  you,  Ernest ;  surely 
you  could  arrange  it  with  nothing  to  do  but  cut 
coupons." 

"  I  am  going  to  try  mighty  hard.  How  long  will 
you  give  us  to  decide?" 

"Will  a  week  do?" 

"  Surely  ;  I  can  tell  in  two  or  three  days,"  an 
swered  Balford. 

"  I  shall  have  to  consult  Jack  first,"  said  Van. 


72  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"  As  far  as  Jack  goes,"  answered  Charlie,  "  I  don't 
think  you  need  worry,  for  he  is  as  anxious  to  have 
you  go  as  I  am." 

"  Well,  leave  the  invitation  open  for  a  few  days, 
will  you  ?  "  asked  Van. 

"  Of  course  I  will ;  there  will  be  a  place  for  you 
any  way.  Besides  Jack  and  his  wife,  I  have  asked 
Margaret  Jones  and  Billie  Brown  and  his  sister. 
You  know  Billie,  a  not  very  heavy  intellect,  but  a 
good  boy  who  will  run  errands  for  the  ladies  and 
dress  for  the  whole  party." 

"  Yes,.  I  know  him.  He  is  what  you  might  call  a 
pretty  boy,  but  with  all  his  little  weaknesses,  he  is, 
au  fond,  a  solid  little  chap,"  said  Van. 

"  Sister  is  nice,  too  ;  queer  she  never  married. 
She  was  a  good  catch  and  when  younger  must  have 
been  passably  attractive." 

"  Yes,  she  will  be  a  good  balance  wheel  when 
something  real  devilish  is  proposed." 

"  When  Billie  calls  for  a  '  lemon  squash,'  for  in 
stance." 

"  I  don't  think  Billie  would  ever  take  anything  as 
vulgar  as  that,  do  you,  Van  ?"  said  Balford. 

"  Well,  then  it's  settled  that  you  will  both  try  to 
fix  it,  and  probably  will,"  said  Haswell.  "  Drop 
me  a  line  here,  if  we  don't  meet ;  I'm  off  to  Boston 
for  a  few  days." 

"  All  right." 

Haswell  had  just  received  his  beautiful  steam 
yacht  A ilsa  from  the  Clyde.  Thorough  American 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  73 

though  he  was,  he  still  held  that,  whereas  no  one 
could  build  a  sailing  craft  to  equal  the  Americans, 
yet  he  yielded  the  palm  to  the  English  in  the  mat 
ter  of  steam  vessels.  He  had  spent  a  good  deal  of 
time  and  trouble  on  her  fitting  out.  Her  design 
had  been  left  to  Watson.  On  her  trial  she  had 
made  seventeen  knots,  and  she  had  arrived  at  the 
Erie  Basin  only  two  days  prior  to  the  conversation 
detailed  above.  Her  length  was  two  hundred  and 
twenty  feet  over  all,  with  a  nineteen-foot  beam. 
Haswell  proposed  to  start  about  the  tenth  of  De 
cember,  and,  taking  the  southern  route,  stop  at  the 
Azores,  thence  to  Gibraltar,  possibly  Tangiers,  and 
then  to  Malta,  and  leaving  his  boat  at  Alexandria, 
go  to  Cairo  and  do  the  Nile  trip.  He  knew  that  he 
would  have  no  difficulty  in  finding  guests,  but  he 
wished  the  kind  who  would  be  most  congenial.  So 
he  had  asked  friends  as  unlike  as  possible.  Jack, 
of  course,  he  knew  well ;  any  one  could  get  along 
with  him.  Jack's  wife  was  an  unknown  quantity. 
Miss  Jones  was  pretty,  bright  and  harmless.  In 
case  of  an  accident,  she  would  have  been  of 
less  use  than  the  ship's  cat,  but  she  was  an  old 
friend  of  his,  or  her  parents  were,  and  as  she  was 
always  laughing,  she  would  be  good  to  drive  off  the 
blues.  Billie  Brown  would  just  suit  Margaret 
Jones.  Miss  Brown,  her  first  name  was  Anne,  not 
Annie,  was  an  old  maid,  a  very  nice  old  maid,  but 
prim  and  precise  and  easily  shocked,  and  her 
younger  brother,  aware  of  this  failing,  took  every 


74  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

advantage  of  it.  She  was  much  older  than  he, 
having  turned  forty,  while  Billie  was  but  twenty- 
five.  Pierre  Van  Beuren  was  of  the  salt  of  the 
earth.  Every  one  loved  him.  He  was  not  good 
looking.  His  face  sometimes  had  almost  a  comical 
look  in  its  smooth-shaven  lines.  But  beneath  his 
unvarying  bonhomie  lay  a  stratum  of  seriousness 
and  unflinching  integrity.  He  was  respected  by 
all.  He  was  a  man  to  go  to  in  trouble,  for  his 
judgment  was  sound.  He  had  had  his  meed  of 
success,  too.  He  had  never  had  an  ambition  to 
shine  as  a  business  man,  as  an  executive  officer,  or 
as  a  philanthropist,  yet  he  had  been  all  of  these, 
and  with  success,  since  his  business  career  had  been 
brilliant,  and  he  had  recently  been,  against  his  wish, 
placed  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  great  charitable 
organizations  of  the  city.  He  was  unmarried  at 
the  age  of  forty-two,  yet  had  he  married  at  twenty- 
five  he  would  have  made  a  model  husband.  He 
loved  his  friends,  but  only  went  into  society  when 
he  was  obliged  to  do  so.  One  might  meet  him  oc 
casionally  at  a  dinner  party  at  the  home  of  a  friend, 
at  alumni  meetings,  or  functions  connected  with 
corporations  with  which  he  was  associated,  but 
never  at  the  Patriarchs'  or  Bachelors'  balls.  He 
was  rather  a  man's  man,  but  could  make  himself 
very  agreeable  to  the  women  as  well. 

Balford  was  of  quite  another  type.  He  was  very 
handsome,  and  he  knew  it.  He  had  a  quiet  and 
unobtrusive  way  of  saying  things,  which,  aided  by 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  75 

a  low  musical  voice,  went  far  with  the  other  sex. 
He  was  born  rich  and  had  never  worked  hard, 
though  at  the  beginning  of  his  career  he  had  to  sit 
at  a  desk  in  his  father's  banking  house  and  look 
over  the  correspondence.  He  dressed  in  the  height 
of  fashion  and  never  did  anything  in  excess.  Al 
together  he  was  a  good  type  of  the  idle  New 
Yorker,  a  class  not  large,  but  unfortunately  increas 
ing. 

The  host,  Haswell,  was  a  rollicking,  jolly,  two- 
hundred-pound  Harvard  graduate,  endowed  with  a 
great,  generous  heart  and  a  long  purse.  He  loved 
to  see  others  enjoy  his  money.  He  loved  the  sea 
and  had  owned  a  fine  schooner  yacht,  but  tiring  of 
it,  had  sold  her.  Now  he  had  built  the  Ailsa  and 
was  to  make  his  initial  trip  in  her. 

Margaret  Jones  and  Katherine  Lowden  were 
great  friends  in  spite  of  some  disparity  in  years  and 
a  great  difference  in  temperament.  While  Mar 
garet  was  a  distinct  blonde  with  delicately  chiselled 
features,  pink  and  white  skin,  and  petite  figure, 
Katherine  Oswald,  as  she  must  now  be  called,  was 
tall,  with  jet-black  hair  and  great,  brown  eyes.  She 
had  so  long  used  the  latter  in  subduing  or  trying 
to  subdue  unruly  man,  that  the  process  had  become 
second  nature  with  her.  She  was  languid  in  man 
ner  and  somewhat  drawling  in  voice.  Her  com 
plexion  was  not  very  clear,  but  its  defects  were 
semi-concealed  by  the  judicious  application  of 
powder  and  other  aids.  She  was  but  little  younger 


76  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

than  her  husband  and  had  seen  much  of  the  world 
and  of  people,  and  this  fact  accounted  in  a  large 
measure  for  her  marked  influence  over  Margaret. 
She  seemed  to  know  all  that  one  should  know,  and 
Margaret,  an  only  child  and  closely  guarded,  was 
awed  by  the  depth  of  ^Catherine's  wisdom. 

She  had  told  Oswald  about  this  wonderful  friend 
of  hers ;  "  so  clever  and  bright,"  she  would  say, 
"  she  knows  everything."  "  That's  rather  a  sweep 
ing  assertion,  Margaret,"  Jack  answered,  "  but  I 
would  like  sometime  to  meet  this  feminine  paragon." 

It  was  Margaret  who  brought  them  together. 
She  had  decided  that  it  would  be  a  great  thing  to 
make  a  match,  and  had  told  Katherine  what  a  catch 
Jack  was — a  man  who  knew  every  one,  rich  and 
with  a  most  romantic  history. 

Katherine  was  at  first  languidly  interested,  but, 
after  meeting  him,  she  was  decidedly  dpris.  His 
sad  face  and  quiet  demeanour  impressed  her.  She 
was  a  born  flirt,  and  at  once  tried  to  make  an  im 
pression.  It  was  not  easy  at  first.  His  studied 
politeness  discouraged  her,  and  his  apparent  indiffer 
ence  to  all  her  blandishments  angered  her  and 
stimulated  her  to  her  utmost.  She  had  been  accus 
tomed  to  have  younger  men  yield  at  once,  and  to 
have  this  man  almost  snub  her,  made  her  determined 
to  bring  him  to  her  feet  at  all  risk.  She  was  a 
good  actress,  and  so  at  last  her  eyes  and  smiles 
and  purring  proximity  had  the  desired  effect,  and, 
almost  before  he  knew  it,  Jack  had  proposed  and 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  77 

been  accepted.  She  had  grown  to  like  him  im 
mensely.  He  was  so  different  from  any  man  she 
had  ever  met.  She  had  no  real  love  in  her  nature, 
but  he  got  all  that  was  there. 

On  his  side,  he  thought  her  a  very  superior 
woman.  She  would  preside  at  his  table  with  dig 
nity  and  would  attract  his  friends  to  his  home. 
He  thought  that  he  loved  her,  not  as  he  had  Clare, 
no,  that  was  not  possible,  but  with  a  mellow,  whole 
some  affection,  which  would  last  and  make  life 
brighter.  He  was  a  bit  flattered,  too,  that  this 
attractive  girl,  with  such  a  host  of  admirers  always 
about  her,  should  have  singled  out  an  old  fossil,  as 
he  called  himself,  for  a  husband.  He  did  not  stop 
to  analyse  her  attraction  to  other  and  younger  men. 
He  only  saw  that  she  was  always  the  centre  of  a 
group,  a  planet  with  many  satellites.  She  had  ac 
cepted  with  enthusiasm  the  invitation  to  go  on  the 
cruise  of  the  Ailsa.  The  invitation  was  received 
one  afternoon  some  days  before  the  wedding,  while 
she  and  Margaret  were  looking  over  and  arranging 
the  presents,  which  had  been  placed  in  the  billiard 
room  on  the  third  floor  of  the  spacious  Lowden 
mansion. 

"  Won't  it  be  just  ideal,"  began  Katherine,  "  such 
a  romantic  commencement  of  our  honeymoon  ?  I 
hope  Mr.  Haswell  has  asked  some  nice  men." 

"  Then  you  decide  at  once  to  accept,"  answered 
Margaret ;  "  how  do  you  know  that  Jack  will  want 
to  go?  " 


78  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"  I  fancy  Jack  will  do  about  as  I  wish,"  with  an 
emphasis  on  the  personal  pronoun. 

"  Well,  as  long  as  the  men  are  gentlemen,  which, 
of  course,  they  will  be,  I  don't  suppose  that  you 
care  who  they  are.  You  would  probably  spend 
most  of  your  time  behind  the  funnel,  or  mast,  or 
life  boats,  with  your  hand  in  your  husband's." 

"  Indeed,  I  shall  do  nothing  of  the  kind.  When 
one  marries,  one  stops  all  that  kind  of  thing  and 
becomes  sensible.  I  might  sit  in  some  safe  place, 
and  allow  some  one  else's  husband  to  hold  my 
hand.  That  would  be  more  likely." 

"  Oh,  Katherine,  what  a  way  to  talk  three  days 
before  your  wedding." 

"  I  mean  it  though  ;  not  anything  wrong,  you 
know,  but  these  mild  flirtations,  if  properly  regu 
lated,  add  spice  to  life,  and  I  don't  see  why,  simply 
because  I'm  married,  I  am  to  put  myself,  or  be  put, 
on  the  shelf." 

"  But  if  you  love  and  respect  your  husband,  I 
shouldn't  think  you  would  care  for  the  marked 
attention  of  any  one  else." 

"  Well,  our  ideas  differ.  According  to  my  code 
of  morals,  there  is  nothing  wrong  in  having  a  little 
fun  in  this  way.  One  can't  eat  beefsteak  every  day 
in  the  year." 

"  Well,  Katherine,  I  think  a  great  deal  of  what 
you  say  is  mere  talk,  and  you  don't  believe  it  your 
self.  As  the  cowboy  says,  you  are  talking  through 
your  sombrero.  Who  sent  you  that  lovely  vase  ?  " 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  79 

"  Ernest  Balford.  Wasn't  he  a  dear,  and  isn't  he 
handsome  ?  I  wish  Mr.  Haswell  would  ask  him  to 
go  along." 

"  Perhaps  he  has  ;  they  are  warm  friends,  you 
know." 

Just  then  Margaret's  maid  called  for  her.  It 
was  quite  dark  and  the  days  had  shortened  so  much 
that  at  five  o'clock  the  street  lamps  were  already 
lit.  Margaret's  maid  had  brought  a  note  left  at 
her  home  by  a  messenger.  It  was  marked  "  Answer." 
She  opened  it  at  once,  but  before  she  read  five  lines, 
she  cried  out  in  joy  : 

"  Oh,  Katherine,  I  am  invited,  too." 

"  Invited  where  ?  " 

"  Why,  to  go  on  the  cruise  of  the  Ailsa.  Mr. 
Haswell  writes — let  me  see — '  I  have  asked  Mrs. 
Oswald-to-be  and  Miss  Brown,  so  there  will  be  two 
chaperones.  The  other  guests  probably  will  be 
Mr.  Van  Beuren  and  Mr.  Balford  and  young  Brown, 
all  of  whom  you  know.  Now  do  persuade  your 
parents  to  consent.  Consult  also  with  Miss  Low- 
den.'  " 

"What  a  perfect  duck  Charlie  Haswell  is,"  ex 
claimed  Katherine.  "  You  must  go,  Margaret.  I 
will  see  your  people  to-morrow  and  represent  to 
them  the  immense  benefit,  both  to  body  and  mind, 
in  such  a  trip,  a  liberal  education  in  itself.  So  Bal 
ford  has  been  asked.  I  hope  he  will  go." 

"And  you  will  not  follow  out  youryfw  de  sticle 
ideas,  will  you,  dear?"  said  Margaret. 


So  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  think  we  will  come  into  any  col 
lision  over  Ernest  Balford,  but  people  are  thrown 
awfully  close  together  on  a  trip  of  this  kind." 

"Well,  dear,  I  will  see  you  in  the  morning,  and, 
after  you  have  talked  with  Jack,  and  I  with  papa 
and  mamma,  we  can  make  some  definite  plans. 
How  perfectly  delightful  it  would  be !  Good 
night." 

"  Good-night,  Margaret." 

After  Margaret  had  gone  Katherine  stood  and 
thought.  "  So  Balford  is  going  ;  I  wonder  if  Jack 
is  jealous.  I  can't  live  without  a  little  flirting — of 
course,  not  just  at  first,  but  Balford  is  so  handsome, 
and  then  Jack  is  so  slow ;  'persuade  Jack  to  go' 
indeed  !  Well,  Kate  Lowden,  if  you  don't  persuade 
him  before  day  after  to-morrow,  there  will  be  no 
wedding,  that's  all,"  and  with  a  toss  of  her  head 
she  went  down  to  her  room  to  dress.  Jack  was  ex 
pected  for  dinner,  and  she  wished  to  see  him  before 
her  father  and  mother  could  learn  the  news. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THE  Ailsa  lay  at  anchor  off  the  foot  of  East 
Twenty-sixth  Street.  For  some  days  she  had  been 
ready  for  her  guests,  and  now  at  last,  on  Saturday, 
December  I2th,  her  steam  was  up,  the  luggage 
aboard,  and  the  living  freight  only  was  needed 
before  she  should  weigh  anchor  and  slip  down  the 
bay.  She  lay  there  like  a  great,  white  bird.  It  was 
just  noon  and  Captain  Burt,  the  skipper,  had 
expected  the  party  at  eleven.  He  was  anxiously 
pacing  the  little  bridge,  when  a  megaphone  order 
from  the  shore  stopped  him  : 

"  Captain  Burt,  send  the  launch  to  the  landing." 

"  Aye,  Aye,  sir,"  he  answered,  and  the  mate  was 
sent  for  the  party. 

A  little  later  the  crew  were  busy  with  the  wind 
lass  and  finally  came  the  call : 

"  Anchor  aweigh,  sir." 

Then  the  screws  began  to  revolve  and  the  grace 
ful  craft  pointed  her  nose  toward  the  Brooklyn 
Bridge  and  they  were  off. 

The  party  were  all  very  happy.  Haswell  was 
exuberant  to  the  last  degree,  and,  in  his  elephantine 
way,  even  tried  to  be  funny.  To  Miss  Brown's 
exclamation :  "  Oh,  I  wish  I  could  look  on  both 
sides  at  once,"  he  answers  rather  tenderly  : 


82  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"What  should  you  do  with  your  eyes,  Miss 
Brown  ?  "  Miss  Brown  blushed  and  answered  : 

"Why,  Mr.  Haswell,  I  don't  know,  I'm  sure. 
What  should  I  do  ?  " 

"  Dot  them,"  laughs  Haswell. 

"  Look  here,  Charles ;  is  that  what  you  asked  us 
for,  to  work  off  your  grey-haired  jokes  on  us  ?  If  so, 
land  me  at  Bay  Ridge,  though,  for  Heaven's  sake, 
don't  take  me  at  my  word." 

"Well,  Ernest,  I  will  land  you  if  you  say  so,  but, 
speaking  of  eyes,  why  shouldn't  you  dot  yours? 

"  Give  it  up,  Charles." 

"  Why,  because  they  are  capital  ones  !  " 

"  Don't  mind  him,  Miss  Brown,  and  enjoy  the 
scenery,  if  you  can  after  these  antique  witticisms. 
I  fear  Mr.  Haswell  has  been  drinking."  This  sotto 
•voce  as  Haswell  walks  forward. 

"  Mr.  Van  Beuren,  you  don't  really  think  that  Mr. 
Haswell  drinks  to  excess,  do  you  ?  I  have  such  a 
horror  of  any  one  who  indulges  in  alcoholic  stimu 
lation  ;  you  know  I  am  a  member  of  the  W.  C.  T.  U. 
and — " 

"  Pshaw,  Sister  Anne,  of  course  he  has  been 
drinking,  any  one  can  see  it,  and  I  don't  blame  him, 
on  an  occasion  of  this  sort,"  said  Billie,  as  he  nudged 
Balford. 

"  If  that  is  true,  William,  I  am  sorry,  very  sorry, 
for  Mr.  Haswell.  I  pity  him  and  shall  take  my 
first  opportunity  to  talk  with  him.  I  shall  give  him 
some  of  our  pamphlets." 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  83 

An  ocean  steamer,  the  Teutonic,  was  just  passing, 
outward  bound. 

"  Let's  race  them  a  little  way,"  cried  Mrs.  Oswald, 
who,  having  gone  below  immediately  upon  coming 
on  board,  now  reappeared  in  a  most  approved  cos 
tume  with  long  plaid  ulster  and  jaunty  yachting  cap. 

"We  can  keep  up  with  them  just  a  bit  here," 
replied  Haswell,  who  had  rejoined  the  party,  "  but 
once  they  get  down  below,  good-bye." 

"  We  take  another  course  any  way,  don't  we?  " 

"  Yes,  we  strike  off  to  the  southeast,  while  they 
go  nearly  east  by  north." 

Lunch  was  announced  by  the  steward.  Mrs. 
Oswald  sat  at  Haswell's  right,  Miss  Brown  at  his 
left,  "  lest  I  might  get  too  gay,"  as  he  explained 
afterwards,  when  Sister  Anne  was  taking  her  usual 
siesta.  Next  to  Katherine  sat  Balford,  having  Mar 
garet  at  his  right.  Jack  took  the  end  opposite  to 
Haswell  and  Van  Beuren  and  Billie  occupied  the 
other  two  seats. 

"  How  long  does  it  take  to  the  Azores  ?  "  asked 
Margaret. 

"  Well,"  answered  Haswell,  "  that  depends  on  the 
weather  and  how  fast  we  go." 

"Why,  you  astonish  me,"  said  Balford  ;  "  I  didn't 
think  the  speed  had  anything  to  do  with  it." 

"  Oh,  let  up,  Ernest,  and  give  me  a  chance  to 
finish  my  sentence.  '  How  fast  we  go  '  refers  to  the 
consumption  of  coal  and  the  revolutions  of  the 
screw." 


84  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"  You  got  out  of  that  all  right,  Charlie,"  said 
Jack,  speaking  almost  for  the  first  time. 

"  Will  it  be  very  rough,  Mr.  Haswell  ?  "  asked 
Sister  Anne  modestly. 

"  I  hope  not,  Miss  Brown,  and  I  trust  divine 
Providence  will  grant  us  a  smooth  passage.  Why, 
aren't  you  a  good  sailor?" 

"  Not  very  in  rough  weather." 

"My  sailing  master  tells  me  that  on  the  way  from 
Tory  Island  to  Sandy  Hook,  the  boat  behaved 
beautifully.  She  does  not  roll,  she  acts  as  if  on  a 
pivot,  so  with  head  winds  she  pitches  somewhat." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Balford,  "  one  of  those  delight 
ful  motions,  where,  when  her  bow  has  been  mostly 
out  of  water,  she  dips  her  nose  down  into  the  sea 
and  you  leave  all  your  internal  economy  up  in  the 
air  somewhere." 

After  luncheon,  all  went  on  deck.  The  air  was 
unseasonably  mild  for  the  middle  of  December, 
and  the  voyage  was  begun  under  most  favourable 
auspices. 

"Wouldn't  you  like  to  see  the  arrangement  of 
the  deck  forward?"  said  Balford  to  Mrs.  Oswald. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  this  is  almost  the  first  steam  yacht 
I  have  ever  been  on.  I  have  seen  lots  of  sailing 
boats,  but  my  knowledge  of  steam  yachts  is  very 
rudimentary." 

They  sauntered  forward.  Jack  sat  back  in  his 
comfortable  chair,  puffed  his  cigar  and  held  a 
desultory  conversation  with  Haswell. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.,  85 

"  Well,  old  man,"  said  the  latter,  "  who  would 
have  thought,  a  year  ago,  that  we  three  fellows 
would  be  here  under  these  circumstances  ?  The 
'whirligig  of  time  brings  round  strange  things.' 
That  is  not  a  correct  quotation  but  will  do." 

"Yes,"  replied  Jack,  "  it  is  strange,  and  I  tell  you 
that  I  have  felt  better,  mentally  and  physically, 
since  we  weighed  anchor  a  few  hours  ago  than  in  a 
long  time." 

"  I  am  delighted  to  hear  you  say  so,  Jack.  If  you 
would  get  around  again  to  your  old  self  and  take  a 
real,  live  interest  in  things,  why,  I'd  build  a  boat 
twice  the  size  of  this,  and  we'd  circumnavigate  the 
globe." 

"Thank  you,  Charlie,  for  your  big-hearted  friend 
ship.  Look  at  those  porpoises.  Funny,  how  close 
they  always  come  to  steamers.  I  wonder  if  it's 
play,  or  whether  they  take  the  keel  of  the  boat  for 
some  enormous  leviathan.  Hadn't  we  better  call 
the  ladies  to  see  them  ?  " 

"Yes.  Oh,  Miss  Jones,  Miss  Brown,  come  on  deck 
and  see  a  school  of  porpoises."  Then,  as  the  ladies, 
after  a  moment,  appear  :  "  What  in  the  world  were 
you  doing  below,  with  the  weather  so  fine  ?  " 

"Oh,  Miss  Brown  was  writing  letters  home  and 
wanted  to  ask  me  the  names  of  some  of  the  dishes 
we  had  at  lunch." 

"Writing  home!  "  exclaimed  Haswell,  "good 
ness  gracious !  You  won't  see  a  mail  box  nor  post 


86  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

office  for  two  weeks  or  more.     Miss  Brown,  you  are 
not  homesick  already,  are  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,  but  I  want  to  remember  all  we  do  and 
say,"  answered  Sister  Anne  apologetically. 

"  Sister  Anne  is  probably  writing  to  father  and 
mother  about  my  profanity :  she  overheard  me  say 
ing  'damn*  in  my  stateroom  just  now,  when  I 
pinched  my  finger  in  one  of  those  patent  basins  of 
yours,  Haswell,"  put  in  Billie,  as  he  appeared  in  the 
companionway  dressed  in  a  bicycle  suit  of  rather 
loud  check  with  cap  to  match  and  rubber-soled 
shoes. 

"  How  do  you  think  I  look  ?  " 

"Quite  like  a  fashion  plate,  Billie,  but  where  did 
you  get  that  cravat ;  it  would  make  Joseph's  coat 
blush  with  envy." 

"  Oh,  that's  the  latest  London  agony.  You  can 
put  me  on  the  bow  at  night  for  a  headlight  if  you 
want — at  ten  dollars  per  night." 

"  Too  expensive,  and  you  might  scare  away  the 
fair  weather." 

"  Where  is  Katherine  ?  "  asked  Jack. 

"  Why,  she  went  forward  with  Balford  a  half-hour 
ago  to  inspect  the  boat,"  answered  Haswell. 

"  Here,  Van,  don't  snooze  in  the  day  time ;  wake 
up,  and  go  forward  and  bring  Mrs.  Oswald  and 
Masher  Balford  aft." 

"Aye,  Aye,  sir,"  answered  Van,  as  he  touched 
his  cap,  and,  yawning  and  stretching,  moved  off. 
He  found  the  two  leaning  over  the  starboard  rail, 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  87 

behind  one  of  the  life  boats,  and  apparently  very 
much  engrossed  in  each  other.  It  gave  honest, 
straightforward  Van  a  little  shock.  He  saw  and 
heard  nothing  to  make  him  explicitly  uncomfortable, 
but  the  proximity  of  the  two  to  each  other,  and 
their  looks,  as  he  approached  unseen,  made  him  feel 
uneasy.  He  coughed  before  coming  very  near  and 
Katherine  and  Balford  stood  suddenly  further 
apart.  This  was  observed  by  Van.  "  Strange,"  he 
soliloquized,  "  Ernest  is  too  good  a  friend  of  Jack's, 
too  much  of  a  man  and  gentleman,  to  stoop  to 
flirtation  with  his  friend's  wife ;  no,  I  am  mistaken, 
he  was  probably  showing  her  some  of  the  trinkets 
on  his  watch  chain."  So  with  a  cheery  voice  he 
hails  them  : 

"Commodore  Haswell  has  sent  me  to  escort  you 
pair  of  runaways  aft.  Are  you  prepared  to  obey?" 

"  We  come,  we  come,"  they  answered,  and  all 
three  sauntered  back  to  where  the  balance  of  the 
party  were  seated.  After  a  little  badinage,  the 
conversation  turned  upon  love  affairs  and  Margaret 
said : 

"  Oh,  I  say,  Katherine,  tell  us  something  about 
it." 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  relish  that  remark,"  answered 
Katherine.  "  Do  you  mean  to  imply  that  I  am, 
through  experience,  versed  in  such  things  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,  dear,  but  we  all  think  that  you  may 
have  had  one  or  two  affaires  du  canr  before  Jack 
came  on  the  carpet  ;  don't  we,  Jack?  " 


88  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"Yes,"  answered  Jack,  laughingly,  "  I  am  sure  I 
was  not  the  very  first ;  nowadays  the  first  love 
rarely  marries  the  girl." 

"  No,"  replied  Billie,  "the  man  is  often  a  beau  at 
the  receptions  of  her  children,  and  sometimes  mar 
ries  one  of  them." 

"  When  did  you  first  fall  in  love,  Mr.  Brown  ? " 
asked  Margaret. 

"At  six  years  of  age  and  I  have  never  quite  re 
covered." 

"How  is  that?" 

"  Why,  I  proposed  in  a  cherry  tree  where  my 
sweetheart  and  I  had  been  spending  the  morning. 
She  was  so  indignant  that  she  pushed  me  off  my 
perch.  I  was  never  well  balanced  and  I  suppose 
the  cherries  helped,  but  any  way  I  fell  and  have 
never  been  quite  the  same  since." 

"Well,  Mrs.  Oswald,"  said  Balford,  "as  you  do 
not  seem  inclined  to  tell  your  experiences,  I  will  give 
you  one  of  mine." 

"  Oh,  do,"  echoed  a  number  of  voices. 

"  It  was  long,  long  ago,"  began  Ernest ;  "  I  was  one 
of  a  house  party.  There  were  a  number  of  girls  in  the 
party  and  of  various  types.  There  were  tall  and 
thin  ones  and  short  and  stout  ones,  blondes  and 
brunettes,  but  there  was  one  who  particularly  im 
pressed  me.  She  was  a  pretty  petite  brunette  with 
large  brown  eyes.  But  it  was  not  her  beauty  that 
attracted  me,  it  was  a  something  about  her  that  I 
cannot  explain,  what  the  Italians  call  sympatica. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  89 

As  I  look  back,  perhaps  she  did  not  encourage  me, 
but  at  the  time  I  thought  she  did.  I  thought  she 
desired  my  company  more  than  that  of  any  of  the 
other  men.  I  fell  head  over  heels  in  love.  It  was 
a  delight  to  be  near  her,  to  touch  her  hand,  even  in 
saying  '  Good  morning  '  ;  it  sent  a  thrill  through  me." 

"  You  must  have  been  very  young,  Ernest," 
interrupted  Billie. 

"  Be  quiet,  little  boy,  you  don't  understand  such 
things.  To  make  my  story  short,  there  was  danc 
ing  one  evening,  and  I  had  the  happiness  of  dancing 
with  Nell.  She  danced  beautifully  and  I  just  lost 
my  head  and,  in  my  frenzy,  whispered  in  her  ear, 
'  Nell,  darling,  I  love  you.'  It  was  said.  What 
did  she  do?  She  stopped  right  there  and  said  with 
admirable  sang  froid :  '  Why,  Mr.  Balford,  don't 
you  know  that  I  am  engaged  ?'  '  Engaged  !  '  I  ex 
claimed,  '  and  you  have  never  told  me  !  You  have 
treated  me  cruelly.'  I  left  her  as  soon  as  possible 
and  walked  out  into  the  night." 

"  Did  you  give  her  up  ?  "  asked  Jack. 

"  No,  the  next  day  the  papers  announced  her 
engagement  to  some  man  out  West  on  a  ranch. 
She  was  to  live  there  for  the  rest  of  her  life.  I  tried 
every  means,  fair  and  unfair,  I  must  confess,  to  get 
her.  I  did  not  know  the  other  fellow,  and  felt  that 
since  he  had  left  temptation  thus  in  my  way,  I  had 
some  right  to  try  my  chances." 

"  How  was  it  that  you  did  not  win  her  ?  "  came 
in  Katherine's  low  voice. 


90  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"  Well,  she  had  some  queer  idea  about  honour. 
At  one  time,  I  think  I  nearly  won  her.  She  had 
not  seen  her  fianc£  for  nearly  a  year  and  I  had  al 
most  got  her  to  promise  to  run  away  with  me,  when 
a  letter  came  to  her  one  day  from  the  ranch 
man,  saying  he  was  just  about  to  leave  for  the  East. 
That  finished  my  little  day-dream  and  you  see  I 
have  never  married." 

"  You've  told  us  a  good  story,"  said  Haswell, 
"  but  you  don't  expect  us  to  believe  that  you  are 
one  of  those  story-book,  disappointed-in-love,  nevcr- 
marry  men,  do  you  ?  We  are  all  sorry  for  you, 
however." 

"  No,  I  shall  never  marry,"  sighed  Ernest,  lugu 
briously. 

"  Your  turn,  Margaret." 

"  Oh,  I  have  had  no  experience.  Katherin*  has 
much  more  knowledge  of  such  things." 

"  Miss  Brown,  you  are  shivering.  Won't  you  have 
some  hot-scotch  or  brandy  and  water?"  said  Has 
well,  turning  toward  Miss  Brown. 

"No,  Mr.  Haswell,  I  am  quite  comfortable,  thank 
you." 

"  Oh,  come,  Sister  Anne,  take  a  little  toddy  ;  I've 
no  doubt  it  is  just  as  good  as  you  get  at  home." 

"  William,  I  have  never  taken  liquor  in  my  life 
except  under  the  doctor's  orders  and  then  only  to 
save  it." 

"Save  what,  the  liquor  or  your  life?"  answered 
Billie. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  91 

"  You  know  very  well  what  I  mean  ;  I  am  going 
down  stairs,"  said  his  sister  with  arctic  austerity. 

"  You  mustn't  say  that,  say  '  going  below,'  "  called 
her  brother  after  her  as  Miss  Brown  disappeared. 

"Do  you  always  tease  your  sister  this  way?" 
asked  Margaret. 

"  Oh,  she  doesn't  mind  it  really,  and  it's  great  fun 
to  shock  her;  I  am  studying  character  from  faces, 
you  know,  and  she  is  one  of  my  most  interesting 
subjects,"  answered  Billie. 

"You're  incorrigible,  but  please  don't  try  it  on 
me." 

"  I  should  never  dare  to,  Madam,"  answered  Billie 
elegantly.  "  I  am  a  humble  creature  and  I  know 
my  place." 

The  following  days  passed  uneventfully.  The 
sea  was  smooth  and  they  made  excellent  time. 
Shut  in  to  themselves  it  was  most  natural  that  they 
should  become  very  well  acquainted. 

Miss  Brown  or  Sister  Anne,  as  they  had  all 
learned  to  call  her  by  this  time,  was  very  jolly,  for 
her,  but  spent  a  great  deal  of  her  time  below,  read 
ing  up  the  Nile  trip  and  studying  the  history  of  the 
temples  and  tombs  of  that  wonderful  valley. 
Every  one  but  Jack  had  noticed  the  intimacy  which 
had  sprung  up  between  Ernest  and  Katherine.  If 
either  were  wanted,  the  others  always  knew  where 
to  find  him  or  her,  and  if  both  were  absent  from 
the  family  circle,  they  could  always  be  found  to 
gether  in  some  more  or  less  secluded  spot. 


92  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

One  evening  just  at  dusk,  Jack,  wishing  to  ask  his 
wife  a  question,  and  not  finding  her  in  the  cabin  or 
in  the  usual  sitting  place  on  deck,  started  to  search 
for  her.  He  walked  the  full  length  of  both  port 
and  starboard  decks  in  vain,  and  began  to  get 
anxious  as  to  her  whereabouts,  when  he  thought  of 
going  way  forward.  He  had  on  his  yachting  shoes 
and  his  step  was  unheard.  He  saw  Katherine  and 
Ernest  sitting  on  a  coil  of  ropes  near  the  anchor. 
They  were  close  together,  very  close,  it  seemed 
to  Jack,  as  he  approached  from  behind.  He  dis 
missed  in  an  instant  the  ugly  thought  which  flashed 
across  his  mind,  and,  thinking  to  startle  his  wife 
by  putting  his  hands  over  her  eyes,  he  drew  nearer. 
But  as  he  came  closer  he  saw  that  her  hand  was  in 
Balford's,  and  then  Ernest  raised  it  to  his  lips. 
Jack  stopped  short  as  if  a  shot  had  pierced  his 
heart.  He  turned  mechanically  and  walked  away 
into  the  gathering  darkness  unobserved.  He  almost 
staggered  to  the  companion  way,  like  one  dazed, 
and  then  went  below.  As  he  passed  the  saloon 
door  Haswell  hailed  him  : 

"  Come  in  and  have  a  cocktail  before  dinner, 
Jack." 

"  Thank  you,  I  will." 

"  Been  on  deck  ?  " 

"  I  took  a  turn  or  two — looks  a  little  squally." 

"  Yes,  Captain  Burt  says  we  shall  have  a  thunder 
storm;  funny  in  December,  isn't  it?" 

"  Oh,  Charlie,  would  you  mind  asking  the  steward 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  93 

to  find  my  wife,  and  ask  her  to  come  down  to  our 
rooms  ?  I've  mislaid  something  and  she  can  find  it, 
I  think." 

"  Certainly.  Smith,  find  Mrs.  Oswald  ;  she's  on 
deck  somewhere,  and  tell  her  that  Mr.  Oswald  would 
like  to  see  her." 

"  All  right,  sir." 

"  Jack,  you  don't  look  quite  well  to-night.  Are 
you  feeling  all  right  ?  " 

"About  as  usual,  old  man,  thanks,"  and  Jack 
turned  toward  his  own  quarters. 

Jack  did  not  come  to  dinner.  He  sent  word  by 
Katherine  that  he  was  not  quite  well. 

"Yes,"  said  Haswell,  "  I  knew  Jack  was  not  him 
self  this  evening;  he  didn't  look  right." 

"  Nothing  serious,  I  hope,  Mrs.  Oswald  ?  "  said 
Sister  Anne. 

"  Oh,  I  fancy  he  will  be  all  right  to-morrow;  the 
salad  at  luncheon  may  have  disagreed  with  him. 
I'm  sure  it  is  nothing  serious." 

"  You're  not  looking  as  though  you  would  do  a 
song  and  dance  either,  Margaret,"  said  Billie  Brown. 

"  There  you  are  again  with  your  slang,"  answered 
the  girl.  "  Why  can't  you  talk  as  other  people 
do?" 

"  You  affect  me  very  strangely.     It's  your  fault." 

"  She  doesn't  affect  your  appetite,"  said  Van 
Beuren. 

"Why  so  silent,  Ernest?"  asked  Van  Beuren, 
presently. 


94  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"  I  was  eating  and  thinking." 

"  Keep  on  with  the  first,  but  never  think  if  you 
can  help  it ;  I  don't,"  advised  Van  Beuren.  "  You 
looked  just  now  like  old  Diogenes  hunting  for  an 
honest  man,  or  Sir  Isaac  Newton  when  he  threw 
his  watch  in  the  fire  and  held  the  egg  in  his  hand." 

Long  after  dinner  Oswald  went  on  deck  alone. 
The  night  was  dark,  and  the  wind,  which  had 
freshened,  blew  the  inky  clouds  above  the  Ailsa. 
Jack  had  been  walking  for  a  long  time — how  long 
he  did  not  know  nor  care.  Katherine  and  he  had 
had  a  talk  in  their  rooms.  He  had  said  harder 
things  than  he  thought  he  ever  could  say  to  a 
woman.  Now  that  his  eyes  were  opened,  her  words 
and  actions  all  showed  that  she  did  not  love  him  ; 
nay,  that  it  was  not  in  her  nature  to  love  any  man 
truly  and  constantly.  But  Ernest !  his  old  friend- 
how  could  it  be?  What  did  it  all  mean?  Was  he 
born  under  an  unlucky  star?  Was  none  of  life's 
happiness  to  come  to  his  lot? 

The  wind  was  howling  wildly,  fiercely,  about  him 
now.  A  damp  mist  began  to  sweep  over  the  boat. 
Every  now  and  then,  as  a  wave  struck  her,  she 
would  shiver  and  shake  as  though  about  to  be  torn 
asunder.  Jack  thought  it  must  have  been  on  just 
such  a  night,  five  years  ago,  that  poor  Clare  had 
gone  out  of  his  life  forever. 

"  I  wonder  if  it  felt  like  this?  "  as  another  wave 
struck  the  Ailsa.  "But  she  was  brave  through  it 
all.  They  told  me  so."  Another  howl  of  the 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 


95 


freshening  gale  through  the  rigging.  My  God  ! 
could  that  be  his  name  he  heard  called  above  the 
fury  of  the  gathering  storm,  and  far  off  there  in  the 
white  foam?  Did  he  see  the  boat  capsize?  Was 
that  Clare  with  outstretched  arms  calling  for  him  to 
come  to  her?  A  brilliant  flash  of  lightning,  a 
thunderous  clap,  and  all  was  in  darkness  again,  and 
Jack  stumbled  blindly  below. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

EARLY  on  the  morning  of  the  2Oth  of  December, 
with  the  sun  trying  to  shine  through  a  blinding 
gale  of  rain  and  mist,  the  Ailsa  sighted  the  Azores. 
No  one  was  on  deck  at  the  time,  and  none  could 
have  remained  there  long,  for  the  gale  had  in 
creased  almost  to  a  hurricane  and  the  decks  were 
awash  most  of  the  time.  Captain  Hurt's  orders  had 
been  to  put  in  at  Fayal,  but  this  was  now  clearly 
impossible  and,  after  he  had  gone  below  and 
consulted  Haswell,  it  was  decided  to  run  on  at 
half  speed  for  Gibraltar.  Even  through  the  mist 
and  rain,  the  Azores  looked  refreshing  and  wel 
come.  Rico  was  quite  close,  and  while  its  rugged 
peaks  were  out  of  sight  in  the  clouds,  yet  lower 
down,  patches  of  vivid  green  showed  cultivation, 
and  now  and  then  a  snowy  cottage  told  that  the 
island  was  peopled.  Toward  afternoon  the  gale 
moderated  and,  one  by  one,  the  party  appeared  in 
the  saloon.  All  were  greatly  disappointed  at  not 
being  able  to  visit  Fayal,  which  they  had  heard  was 
so  quaint  and  picturesque,  and  now  they  were  again 
on  the  broad  ocean  for  five  more  days,  with  no 
land  in  sight.  At  last  on  Christmas  day,  a  balmy 
sunny  afternoon,  they  glided  over  the  historic 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  97 

waters  of  Trafalgar  bay,  rounded  Cape  Tarifa,  and 
neared  Gibraltar. 

"  How  strange  to  be  passing  so  peacefully  over 
this  great  battle  ground." 

"  When  was  that  fight,  Mr.  Haswell,"  asked 
Margaret. 

"  I  am  not  sure,  but  I  should  say  it  took  place 
about  1805.  It  was  at  the  time  when  Napoleon 
was  contemplating  the  invasion  of  England,  and 
when  Nelson  destroyed  the  fleets  of  France  and 
Spain,  it  ruined  forever  the  Emperor's  chances  re 
garding  England." 

"Why?"  said  Margaret. 

"  No  frigates  to  protect  his  transports  when  tak 
ing  the  soldiers  over." 

"  What  a  lot  of  relics  there  must  be  under  here, 
skeletons,  swords,  guns  and  ammunition.  What  a 
mine  for  a  curio  store  if  they  could  only  be  got  up." 

"  There !  See,  now  you  catch  sight  of  the  Rock 
of  Gibraltar,"  said  Van  Beuren.  "  The  name 
sounds  as  solid  as  the  place  itself,  doesn't  it?  " 

"And  is  that  Africa  over  there  to  the  right?" 
asked  Sister  Anne. 

"Yes,  Morocco  and  Tangiers,  on  the  northwest 
point  of  the  African  coast." 

"  How  narrow  the  opening  to  the  Mediterranean 
is." 

"  Only  about  eight  miles,  I  believe,"  said  Balford. 

"  If  England  wants  to,  she  can  just  shut  up  the 
whole  sea.  She  has  this  place,  and  now  practically 


98  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

owns  the  Suez  Canal,  and  then  a  few  fortified 
places,  coaling  stations  and  so  on,  like  Malta  and 
Cyprus." 

"  I  should  think  England  would  collect  toll  from 
every  boat  that  goes  through  here,"  said  Billie. 

"  Well,  she  may  some  day,  but  she  will  have  to 
have  a  few  arguments  like  Trafalgar  before  she 
does." 

"  I  don't  see  how  it  is  that  England  gets  all 
these  strongholds,"  said  Margaret. 

"  Well,  you  know  the  Moors,  or  Saracens,  first 
had  the  place,  then  Spain,  and  so  back  and  forth, 
until  it  was  taken  from  Spain  by  the  Dutch  and 
English  fleets.  If  the  French  had  won  the  battle  of 
Trafalgar,  I  suppose  Gibraltar  would  have  passed  to 
the  French,  after  the  English  had  held  it  just  about 
a  hundred  years." 

"  It  is  certainly  very  impressive,"  said  Jack  ;  "it 
looks  impregnable." 

By  this  time  the  yacht  had  run  into  the  harbour. 
The  lights  along  the  shore  shone  out  like  rows  of 
fire-flies  in  the  darkening  twilight. 

"  Let's  give  up  our  celebration  on  board  and  go 
ashore  and  try  to  get  up  a  Christmas  dinner,"  sug 
gested  Haswell.  "  We  can  come  back  and  have 
supper  afterwards." 

"Capital  idea.  Are  there  any  hotels  in  the  place  ?  " 
asked  Van  Beuren. 

"  Oh,  dear,  yes,  three  or  four  ;  the  Europa  is  the 
best,  I  believe." 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  99 

So  Smith  was  sent  ashore  in  the  launch  to  see 
what  he  could  do,  while  the  party  sat  about  and 
conversed  in  the  gathering  gloom.  They  watched 
the  signal  lights  flash  up  here  and  there,  and  could 
hear  the  bugle  notes  ring  out  on  the  still  air  the  call 
to  mess.  It  seemed  very  weird,  very  unnatural  to 
most  of  them.  The  air  was  mild,  mild  as  in  mid- 
May  at  home.  Sister  Anne  was  excited  over  the 
expected  mail,  having  carefully  calculated  that  the 
St.  Paul  would  deliver  her  mail  bags  at  Southamp 
ton  three  days  before  their  arrival  at  Gibraltar,  and, 
that  having  left  New  York  three  days  after  the  Ailsa 
she  would  bring  the  very  latest  news  from  home.  So 
she  saved  her  voluminous  epistles  for  the  inevitable 
P.  S.  Smith  returned  laden  with  a  basket  of  oranges 
and  many  papers,  but  no  letters.  He  brought 
word,  too,  that  mine  host  of  the  Europa  would  have 
a  dinner  ready  for  his  guests  at  seven-thirty. 

They  were  all  somewhat  excited  over  the  pros 
pect  of  being  on  land  again,  and  Billie  in  his 
exuberance  and  patriotism  proposed  to  carry  two 
American  flags  with  him  to  show  their  nationality. 
The  proposition  was  unanimously  vetoed  as  being 
absurd  and  vulgar  as  well  as  quite  unnecessary,  and 
Billie  felt  hurt. 

Four  queer  little  carriages  met  them  at  the  quay 
and  they  rattled  through  the  narrow  streets  up  to 
the  Hotel  Europa.  The  Spanish  proprietor  was 
awaiting  them  and,  with  many  bows  and  obsequious 
washing  of  hands  "  with  invisible  soap  in  impercep- 


ioo  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

tible  water,"  welcomed  them  to  his  hostelry.  They 
had  a  side  table  in  the  dining-room,  which,  though 
not  spacious,  was  clean,  and  they  were  introduced 
to  some  new  dishes,  fresh  sardines,  boiled  sweet 
potatoes  with  syrup  over  them,  which  tasted  for  all 
the  world  like  maron  glaa'e,  and  many  other  new 
delicacies.  A  great  many  bird  cages  hung  about  the 
room  and  their  occupants  carolled  out  a  Christmas 
welcome  to  the  strangers.  Altogether  the  meal 
was  very  jolly,  and  when  it  was  proposed  to  walk 
down  to  the  boat  afterward  all  acquiesced  ;  thus  it 
happened  that  Margaret  and  Billie  went  together 
and,  after  stopping  at  innumerable  shops,  at  last 
found  themselves  lost. 

"  How  stupid  of  you,"  exclaimed  Margaret.  "  We 
may  have  to  ask  some  of  these  soldiers  the  way, 
and  they  will  take  us  for  suspicious  characters  and 
lock  us  up." 

"I  wouldn't  mind  much  if  we  were  together," 
said  Billie  boldly. 

"  Well,  /  would,  and  if  you  want  to  retain  a 
spark  of  the  friendship  that  I  have  for  you,  and 
even  that  is  rapidly  cooling,  you  will  take  me  to  my 
friends." 

"You  are  a  little  severe,  Margaret,  but  I  know, 
any  idiot  like  me  would  know,  that  if  we  walk  down 
the  hill,  we  will  reach  the  water,  while  you,  like  the 
Excelsior  boy,  seem  to  want  to  go  higher." 

"  Well,  then,  you  lead  the  way  ;  it  is  getting  to  be 
positively  immoral." 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  101 

"  Follow  me,  then,"  and  he  started  down  the 
steep  street  in  a  hurry.  Nearing  a  corner  he 
turned  to  speak  to  Margaret,  and  came  into  violent 
collision  with  some  one,  who  at  once  seized  him 
roughly,  and  demanded  in  a  deep  basso  voice  : 

"  What  do  you  mean,  sir,  by  running  into  me  ?  " 

The  man  was  nearly  six  feet  tall,  but  Billie 
answered  quickly  : 

"You  blood-thirsty  villain!  I'll  show  you  what 
I  mean.  Come  out  here,"  moving  to  the  middle  of 
the  narrow  street.  Margaret,  with  a  little  shriek, 
rushed  between  them,  and,  as  they  stepped  into 
the  light  at  the  corner,  Billie  saw  in  his  opponent 
none  other  than  Van  Beuren  himself  with  the  whole 
party  close  behind  him. 

"  What  a  bantam  rooster  you  are,  Billie.  We 
saw  you  coming  and  waited  for  you,"  said  Kathe- 
rine,  after  the  laugh  had  subsided. 

"Well,  Margaret,  I  mean  Miss  Jones,  insisted 
that  the  ./4//.WZ  was  anchored  on  the  top  of  that 
hill,  and  I  couldn't  persuade  her  out  of  it." 

"  Did  you  try  hard?  "  asked  Balford. 

"  Yes,  I  did,  but  we  don't  get  on  together, 
anyway." 

"  Come,  let's  go  back  to  the  boat,"  said  Haswell ; 
"  we  can  do  the  town  to-morrow.  I  have  a  letter 
or  two  that  I  must  present,  I  suppose,  though  I 
hate  to  carry  letters  of  introduction.  They  put  a 
man  to  the  necessity  of  showing  you  some  attention 
and  it  doesn't  seem  fair." 


102  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

Arrived  at  the  boat,  they  immediately  made 
preparation  for  a  welsh  rabbit  supper.  Haswell 
presided  over  one  chafing  dish,  while  Katherine 
took  charge  of  the  other. 

After  supper  Jack  went  on  deck  and  paced  to 
and  fro.  Apparently  the  scene  he  had  witnessed 
on  deck  had  been  forgotten.  He  and  his  wife  were 
seemingly  friendly,  and  in  his  heart  he  had  for 
given  Balford.  He  knew  Ernest's  very  impression 
able  nature  and  believed  he  was  led  to  commit  an 
offense  against  his  friend  by  the  occasion  and 
evironment.  He  believed,  too,  that  Ernest  regretted 
having  been  led  so  far  as  to  appear  disloyal  to  him  and 
subsequent  events  tended  to  show  this,  for  Ernest  had 
rather  avoided  Mrs.  Oswald  lately,  though  he  could 
have  known  nothing  of  the  husband's  discovery  of  the 
flirtation.  .  .  .  The  night  was  still.  There  was 
no  moon,  but  the  heavens  were  studded  with  bril 
liant  stars.  As  Jack  leaned  over  the  rail,  he  thought 
of  the  exquisite  words  : 

"  The  night  has  a  thousand  eyes 

And  the  day  but  one — 
Yet  the  light  of  the  bright  day  dies, 

With  the  dying  sun. 
The  mind  has  a  thousand  eyes, 

And  the  heart  but  one, 
Yet  the  light  of  a  whole  life  dies 

When  love  is  done." 

The  following  morning  they  started  out  sight 
seeing.  They  chartered  four  carriages,  and  drove 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.          103 

first  to  Europa  Point.  Haswell  and  Katherine 
occupied  one  carriage,  while  Miss  Brown  and  Van 
Beuren  took  another,  the  remaining  vehicles  being 
filled,  respectively,  by  Ernest  and  Jack,  who  wanted 
to  smoke,  and  by  Margaret  and  Billie,  who  didn't. 
These  two  had  patched  up  their  differences  of  the 
night  before,  and  were  willing  to  sit  together  for  a 
little  while,  provided,  Margaret  stipulated,  "  Mr. 
Brown  would  only  speak  when  spoken  to." 

"  What  a  melange  of  nationalities  and  dress," 
exclaimed  Katherine  to  Haswell. 

"  Yes,  one  sees  Egyptian,  Moors,  Algerians,  Jews 
and  Singalese — then,  of  course,  the  various  types  of 
English,  Scotch  and  Irish  soldiery.  It's  a  great 
place  to  study  the  nations.  Very  cosmopolitian, 
isn't  it?" 

"  Why  do  so  many  different  races  gather  here  ?  " 

"  Why,  I  suppose  because  it  is  the  great  stopping 
place  for  all  ships  entering  or  leaving  the  Mediterra 
nean,  and  all  these  picturesque  people  are  vendors  of 
some  of  the  products  of  their  native  lands.  They 
are  here  for  business,  not  health." 

"  Oh,  look  at  that  brilliantly  dressed  fellow,  with 
short,  kilt  skirt,  which  sticks  out  like  a  ballet  cos 
tume,  and  his  curved  sword  and  embroidered  jacket 
and  queer  cap.  He  is  all  in  white." 

"  I  think  he  must  be  a  Greek  or  Macedonian. 
Driver,  is  that  a  Greek?" 

"  Si,  Seftor,  he  come  far  away,"  pointing  toward 
the  East. 


104  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

They  passed  through  the  South  Port  gate  and 
began  to  ascend  the  hill  back  of  the  Alameda.  An 
old  and  dilapidated  'bus  slowly  toiled  by.  It  con 
tained  three  passengers,  two  Spanish  peasant 
women,  and  a  red-coated  Tommy  Atkins,  all  half 
asleep. 

"  Oh,  look  at  the  name  on  the  'bus,"  laughed 
Billie,  pointing  to  the  yellow  vehicle  and  unhappy 
mule  team.  "  '  Paciencia,'  that's  Spanish  for  pa 
tience.  Isn't  that  good  ?  "  and  he  called  the  atten 
tion  of  Jack  and  Ernest  to  the  appropriately  named 
stage. 

"It  reminds  one  of  Fifth  Avenue,  doesn't  it?" 
asked  Billie. 

"  That  is  better,  though,"  said  Margaret,  as  a 
magnificent  gold-laced  officer  galloped  by  on  his 
fine  charger. 

They  all  stopped  to  look  at  the  Wellington  mon 
ument  and  enjoy  the  superb  sea  view. 

The  African  coast  was  to  be  seen  quite  distinctly 
and  the  sailing  boats  that  dot  the  water  everywhere 
looked  like  toy  craft  as  they  skimmed,  far  below, 
over  the  intensely  blue  and  sunlit  waters. 

They  resumed  their  slow  ascent.  They  passed 
the  neatest  little  cottages,  all  embowered  in  flowers 
and  semi-tropical  foliage,  perched  quaintly  on  the 
steep  side  hill.  The  architecture  was  decidedly 
English,  and  on  the  stone  gate  posts  at  the  entrance 
to  each  was  the  name  of  the  place  and  occupant. 

They  passed,  too,  the  mess  houses  and  barracks  at 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  105 

the  point,  and  turning,  skirted  the  base  of  the  great 
rock.  The  road  was  partially  cut  from  the  face  of 
the  precipice,  and  every  now  and  again  were  seen 
the  ancient  watch  towers,  batteries  and  battlements 
of  the  Moors  and  the  Spaniards,  now  all  moss 
grown,  and  grey,  and  crumbling.  Though  told  that, 
at  this  season,  the  monkeys  are  on  the  other  side 
of  the  rock,  yet  they  dismounted  and  walked  up 
the  narrow  path  to  the  monkey  caves,  and  saw 
where  the  simians  should  have  been. 

Afterwards  they  started  back  for  the  yacht  and 
lunch.  On  the  way  down,  they  looked  at  the  big 
guns  pointed  toward  the  African  coast,  eight  miles 
away.  They  passed  two  or  three  Spanish  turkey 
herders,  men  with  long,  light  sticks  driving  flocks  of 
fowl  ahead  of  them  through  the  streets  and  street- 
lets.  When  a  native  passer-by  wanted  to  buy  he 
would  seize  a  bird,  feel  it  over,  pay  a  few  coins  and 
carry  it  off,  or  throw  it  down  again  into  the  flock  in 
disgust. 

At  lunch  they  decided  to  spend  the  afternoon  in 
inspecting  the  galleries,  and  to  drive  over  to  the 
town  of  Algeciras  in  Spain.  They  also  agreed  to 
start  the  next  day  at  noon  for  Malta.  Sister  Anne 
concluded  not  to  make  the  afternoon  trip,  being 
afraid  that  she  could  not  do  justice  to  so  much  nov 
elty  in  one  day,  and  Haswell,  having  seen  it  all 
before,  felt  obliged  to  present  his  letters  of  intro 
duction,  so  the  other  six  started  together.  Smith 


106  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

had  gone  ashore  immediately  after  luncheon  to 
engage  a  'bus  which  would  hold  them  all. 

"  I  hope  it  won't  be  the  Paciencia,"  said  Van, 
"don't  you,  Billie?" 

"  Yes,  indeed  ;  that  was  the  dirtiest  looking  con 
veyance  I  ever  saw  and  we  should  all  probably  be 
obliged  to  disinfect  before  coming  on  board  again." 

"  Careful,  Billie,  count  ten  now  before  you  make 
another  remark,"  said  Margaret. 

"  Well,  I  declare,  is  there  no  freedom  of  speech  on 
this  boat?" 

"Too  much  at  times,"  said  Sister  Anne,  as  she 
excused  herself  from  the  table. 

The  men  were  smoking  their  cigarettes  over  their 
coffee  and  cr/nte  de  ment/te,  and  before  they  had 
finished  an  animated  discussion  as  to  why  England 
was  allowed  to  gobble  up  all  the  strategic  positions 
in  the  world,  Smith  reappeared  to  announce  that  he 
had  engaged  the  best  'bus  in  town  for  them. 

They  started  slowly  up  the  hill,  admiring,  as  they 
moved  along,  the  ancient  Moorish  castle  on  its  side. 
Billie  carried  his  camera,  a  bull's  eye,  and  upon 
alighting  at  the  entrance  to  the  galleries,  sauntered 
forward  to  take  a  picture  of  the  ruin.  As  he  was 
diligently  trying  to  get  the  picture  straight  in  his 
finder,  a  heavy  hand  descended  on  his  shoulder  and 
a  severe  voice  said  : 

"  Is  that  a  photograph  machine,  sir  ?  " 

Billie  turned  angrily  and  saw  a  red-coated  corpo 
ral  towering  over  him. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  107 

"  Yes,  it  is,  and  I  want  to  know  what  you  mean 
by  laying  your  dirty  hands  on  my  shoulder." 

"  I  mean  that  you  will  go  to  the  guard  house  if 
you  don't  keep  a  civil  tongue  in  your  'ead ;  come 
along  to  the  sergeant." 

Billie's  patriotism  and  quick  temper  jumped  to 
the  front,  but  when  Jack  and  Balford  came  up,  the 
corporal,  somewhat  mollified,  explained  that  the 
taking  of  photographs  on  the  rock  by  amateurs, 
or  others,  constituted  a  penal  offense.  Billie  calmed 
clown  and  they  all  went  before  the  superior  officer. 
Billie's  excuse  of  ignorance  went  for  naught,  and 
his  precious  camera  was  confiscated.  His  only  con 
solation,  however,  was  that  Haswell,  through  his 
acquaintance  with  the  officers  of  the  post,  might 
have  it  returned  to  him.  His  captors  told  him  that, 
had  he  been  English,  he  would  have  been  locked  up. 
As  it  was,  he  would  be  watched  during  his  stay  and 
another  attempt  at  violation  of  the  rules  would  be 
serious.  They  entered  the  galleries  and  soon  forgot 
the  trouble  with  the  camera,  in  their  wonder  at 
this  stupendous  work. 

A  soldier  acted  as  guide  and  after  a  generous  tip 
became  communicative  and  explained  the  guns  and 
their  management. 

"Ye  see,  sir,  a  'orse  and  wagon  can  drive  through 
'ere." 

At  intervals  of  twelve  or  fifteen  yards  were  large 
apertures,  each  with  a  muzzle  of  a  great  gun  point 
ing  down  on  the  bay,  and,  as  in  the  ascent,  they 


io8  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

rounded  the  corner  were  others  commanding  the 
neutral  ground  and  the  town  of  Algeciras,  the  gate 
way  to  Spain. 

"  And  was  all  this  tunnelled  out  of  the  solid  rock  ?  " 
asked  Katherine. 

"  Oh,  yes,  mum,  this  is  the  lower  gallery  ;  but  look 
through  the  port,  way  up  yonder ;  do  you  see  the 
holes  winding  way  up  to  the  top  ?  That's  the  hupper 
gallery  ;  but  strangers  can't  go  there." 

"  Wonderful,  isn't  it  ?  "  exclaimed  Balford. 

"  Yes,  the  whole  rock  around  is  honeycombed," 
answered  Van. 

They  came  back  to  the  entrance  and  started 
again.  They  drove  to  the  neutral  ground  and 
Spain.  As  they  came  to  the  English  boundary  they 
were  stopped  by  a  sentry,  spic  and  span  in  his  red 
coat,  white  cartridge  and  bayonet  belt,  and  dark 
blue  trousers  with  small  red  cord.  He  wore  a  white 
helmet  and  his  boots  were  as  bright  as  a  mirror. 
He  allowed  them  to  pass  and  they  traversed  the 
intervening  space,  perhaps  two  hundred  yards  in 
width,  and  passed  the  Spanish  sentry,  who  was  loll 
ing  on  a  bench.  He  was  undersized,  dirty  looking, 
and  smoking  a  cigarette. 

"  What  a  difference,"  said  Margaret,  "  between 
these  two  men,  and  look!  near  each  English  sentry 
box  you  see  a  well-groomed  soldier  pacing  eternally 
back  and  forth,  but  of  all  the  six  boxes  on  this  side, 
only  one  seems  to  be  tenanted,  and  see  how  he  is 
guarding  the  frontier !  " 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  109 

They  drove  into  the  old  town  of  Algeciras.  The 
road  was  filthy  with  refuse  and  garbage,  and  the 
few  soldiers  were  lying  about  asleep,  or  chatting 
with  the  peasant  women,  who  passed  in  and  out  of 
the  gates  carrying  their  various  wares  to  Gibraltar 
and  returning.  The  odours  and  general  appearance 
of  the  place  were  so  uninviting  that  they  soon 
turned  and  drove  back  to  cleanliness  and  thrift. 

"  Isn't  what  we  have  seen  indicative  of  the  two 
races  ?  "  said  Jack.  "  Spain  is  no  longer  a  factor  in  the 
economy  of  nations.  I  doubt  if  she  will  ever  come 
up  again.  The  mere  fact  that  in  every  town,  even 
the  size  of  this  village,  they  must  have  their  arena 
and  bull  fights,  is  sufficient  commentary  on  the  na 
tion,  to  my  mind." 

"  For  my  part,"  answered  Margaret,  "  I  cannot 
understand  how  women  can  go  to  those  brutal  ex 
hibitions.  I  went  once  three  or  four  years  ago  and 
on  Sunday,  too.  It  was  at  San  Sabastian.  I  didn't 
faint,  even  though,  within  fifteen  minutes,  I  had  seen 
three  horses  gored  to  death." 

"  Meanwhile  the  women  were  applauding  and 
having  a  fine  time,  I  suppose,"  said  Van  Beuren. 

"  I  suppose  so.  I  came  away  or  was  taken  away. 
I  shall  never  forget  it.  We  only  went,  you  know, 
to  say  that  we  had  been." 

"  Spain's  decadence,  I  believe,"  said  Jack,  "  is 
due  to  their  false  idea  of  chivalry  and  honour. 
They  have  failed  to  keep  pace  with  modern  prog 
ress  and  civilisation.  They  are  still  in  the  middle 


no  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

ages,  as  it  were.  The  great  abyss  between  the 
classes  is  as  deep  and  marked  to-day  as  it  was  at  the 
time  of  the  Armada.  Why,  I've  been  told  that  it  is 
exceptional  to  find  a  peasant  who  can  even  read  or 
write.  Think  of  that,  when  you  apply  it  to  the 
American  farmer,  or,  now,  even,  to  the  Southern 
negro !  Then,  too,  the  priesthood  are  responsible 
for  a  great  deal." 

When  they  got  back  to  the  boat,  they  found  a 
budget  of  letters.  There  was  only  one  letter  for  Jack 
and  this  from  his  lawyer,  telling  him  of  the  death, 
in  California,  of  his  uncle,  Robert  Oswald.  This 
uncle,  his  father's  only  brother,  had  gone  to  the 
West  as  a  young  man.  He  had  made  a  fortune  and 
now  left  about  one-half  of  it  to  his  only  nephew,  the 
balance  going  to  collateral  relatives.  The  letter 
also  stated  that  Jack  need  be  in  no  hurry  to  come 
back  on  this  account,  as  it  would  take  some  time  to 
appraise  the  estate  and  settle  with  the  heirs.  Jack 
had  never  seen  his  uncle,  so  that  his  death  was  in 
no  sense  a  blow.  He  was  mildly  pleased  that  he 
should  come  into  possession  of  a  large  sum  of 
money,  but  he  would  have  been  about  as  happy 
without  it. 

There  was  little  news  for  the  others  to  announce, 
as  the  letters  were  but  three  days  later  than  the 
day  of  their  departure. 

After  dinner  they  had  some  music.  Margaret 
played  the  piano  well,  and  Billie  his  guitar,  but 
Jack  complaining  of  hoarseness  declined  to  sing. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.          HI 

Nevertheless,  they  had  some  good  choruses  and 
Billie  sang  "Tommy  Atkins,"  "Alabama  Coon," 
and  other  topical  songs. 

By  noon  the  following  day,  they  had  finished 
coaling,  and  the  Ailsa  started  down  the  bay, 
rounded  Europa  Point,  and  headed  for  Malta. 

"  Those  are  the  pillars  of  Hercules,  and  the  an 
cients  thought  them  the  extreme  western  boundary 
of  the  world,"  said  Billie,  as  they  left  the  gateway 
to  the  Mediterranean  astern. 

"What  guide  books  have  you  been  reading?" 
said  Margaret  saucily. 

"  Pshaw,  any  one  who  knows  anything,  knows 
that  Gibraltar  on  one  side  and  Ceuta  Point  on  the 
other  have  always  been  called  the  Pillars  of  Her 
cules, — Miss  Margaret,  I  am  sometimes  astonished 
at  your — your  poor  memory — you,  who  have  trav 
elled  so  much — but  pardon  me,  perhaps  you  were 
too  young." 

"  Perhaps  I  was  young  then,  but  I  am  older  now, 
old  enough  to  box  your  ears  if  you  go  too  far," 
said  Margaret,  and  Billie  chaffed  her  no  more  for 
the  present. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

"  MAY  I  ask  Mr.  Oswald  how  long  this  is  going 
to  last ;  how  long  I  am  to  be  treated  with  this 
studied  politeness,  which  every  one  must  notice  and 
comment  upon  ?  " 

The  words  were  spoken  to  Jack  Oswald  by  his 
wife,  in  their  rooms  on  board  the  Ailsa.  They  had 
been  allotted  two  spacious  connecting  cabins,  one 
of  the  largest  suites  on  the  boat. 

"  I  was  not  aware  that  I  had  done  anything  to 
attract  attention  or  comment,"  replied  Jack. 

"  Yes,  you  have.  Ever  since  that  night  when 
you  say  you  saw  Balford  kiss  my  hand,  you  have 
acted  like  a  brute.  I  don't  propose  to  stand  it 
longer.  What  did  it  amount  to  anyway  ?  A  harm 
less  little  flirtation.  You  ought  to  be  glad  that  I 
get  a  little  attention  from  others,  since  I  certainly 
get  none  from  you." 

"  Katherine,  there  is  an  old  Latin  quotation 
which  says:  '  Falsus  in  uno,  falsus  in  omnibus,  and 
which,  liberally  translated,  means  that  a  husband 
or  wife  who  is  faithless  or  untrue  in  one  thing, 
would  probably  stop  at  nothing." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  I  am  an  immoral 
woman?"  flashed  Katherine,  coming  to  his  door 
and  flashing  her  black  eyes  at  him. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  113 

"  I  said  and  meant  nothing  of  the  kind.  I  now 
recognise  the  fact  that  you  do  not  love  me,  did  not 
when  I  married  you.  I  do  not  think  there  is  any 
possibility  of  love  in  your  heart  for  any  man.  You 
live  on  vanity  and  the  attention  you  may  get  from 
men,  and  you  get  attention  by  just  such  means  as 
those  used  with  my  friend  Balford." 

"  After  that  insulting  speech,  I  can  see  no  course 
for  us  but  a  separation.  If  you  mean  what  you  say 
of  my  character,  you  can  have  no  respect  for  me, 
and  I  am  very  sure  that  I  hate  and  despise  you." 

Katherine  put  all  the  venom  of  her  nature  into 
the  last  words.  Ever  since  that  night  when  he  had 
discovered  her  flirtation  with  Balford,  her  husband 
had  been  a  changed  man  toward  her.  He  had 
tried  to  be  natural,  but  found  it  impossible.  On 
her  side,  she  was  only  afraid  that  the  others  might 
notice  the  change,  and  her  pride  shrank  back  from 
this  thought.  To-night  she  had  determined  to  have 
it  out  with  him. 

"  I  am  more  sorry  than  surprised  to  hear  you  say 
that,  Katherine,  for,  of  necessity,  we  must  remain 
together  for  a  time.  We  must  appear  to  be  at 
least  friendly,  and  I  think  you  will  see  the  force  of 
this  necessity  from  whatever  point  of  view  you  look 
at  it." 

"  Very  well,  but  after  what  you  have  said,  there 
is  no  other  course  except  a  separation  when  we  re 
turn  home.  Meanwhile  you  can  go  your  way 
without  let  or  hindrance  and  I  will  go  mine." 


U4  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"  It  shall  be  as  you  say,"  answered  her  husband, 
and  left  the  cabin  to  go  on  deck. 

They  had  been  cruising  now  for  two  days  along 
the  African  shore.  To  Sister  Anne,  it  seemed 
safer  to  be  within  sight  of  land  most  of  the  time, 
in  case  of  collision  or  striking  a  rock.  They  passed 
many  vessels  and  steamers  plying  between  Genoa, 
Naples,  Brindisi  and  the  ports  of  Tunis,  Tripoli  and 
Algiers. 

"  How  sweet  and  considerate  Jack  is,"  said  Mar 
garet  to  Sister  Anne,  as  they  sat  together  one 
balmy  afternoon  alone  on  the  deck.  Both  were 
engaged  on  some  fancy  work  and  the  men  were  all 
below  or  lounging  on  the  deck  forward.  Katherine 
was  writing  in  her  cabin. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  he  is  always  thinking  of  others  ; 
what  trouble  he  took  this  morning  in  marking  out 
the  shuffle-board  squares  for  us,  and  then  didn't 
play  at  all." 

"  He  seems  to  see  what  you  want  and  get  it  al 
most  as  soon  as  you  think  of  it." 

"  And  yet,"  said  Sister  Anne,  "  Mr.  Oswald  does 
not  seem  as  happy  or  natural  as  at  first." 

"  I  have  noticed  that,  too,"  answered  Margaret. 
"  I  am  afraid  that  he  and  Katherine  don't  get  on 
very  well,  though  I  wouldn't  say  that  to  any  one 
else.  Katherine  seems  to  prefer  Ernest  Balford's 
society,  but  he  has  rather  avoided  her  of  late,  it 
seems  to  me." 

"  Oh,  I  hope  nothing  so  terrible  as  an  estrange- 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  115 

ment  could  happen,  Margaret.  I  should  regret 
having  come  at  all." 

"Well,  I  must  say,  Sister  Anne,  that  I  do  not 
like  the  way  Katherine  acts.  Here  is  Jack  now," 
and  Margaret  turned  to  him. 

"  Do  you  remember  that  day,  Jack,  on  Long 
Island  Sound — the  day  we  played  you  such  a  joke 
about  a  fish?  " 

"  While  memory  is  with  me  I  cannot  forget  it, 
Margaret." 

"  Well,  wasn't  it  just  such  a  day  as  this  ?  I  think 
the  Sound  looked  just  as  blue  and  the  Connecticut 
shore  low-lying  and  hazy.  I  can  close  my  eyes  and 
see  it  all.  How  Will  Stanton  and  the  sailing  mas 
ter  enjoyed  the  joke !  " 

"Tell  me  about  it,  Mr.  Oswald,  won't  you?" 
asked  Sister  Anne. 

Jack  laughed. 

"  I  had  been  trolling  for  blue  fish  for  hours,"  he 
answered,  "and  had  said  I  wouldn't  give  it  up  until 
I  caught  something.  I  had  thrown  myself  down  on 
the  cushions  and  was  nearly  asleep ;  in  fact,  I  must 
have  dozed  off.  I  was  awakened  by  hearing  the 
wicked  Margaret  saying  to  the  sailing  master  :  '  Cap 
tain,  isn't  that  a  school  of  fish?'  I  opened  one  eye 
and  listened.  It  was  so  comfortable  lying  there  in 
the  sunlight  and  light  breeze.  'Why,  yes.  Miss 
Jones,  quite  a  lot  in  it,  too.'  With  that  I  raised  on 
one  elbow  and  looked  astern,  and  then  leaping  to 
my  feet  I  cried  :  '  By  Jove !  I've  got  one.  and  a  big 


u6  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

one  at  last,'  and  I  began  to  haul  in  like  mad.  They 
all  gathered  around  me,  and  Margaret  kept  saying  : 
'  Isn't  it  a  beauty  ? '  You  could  see  it  splashing 
through  the  water  way  astern.  When  I  had  it 
nearly  in  I  saw  that  it  was  a  champagne  bottle,  and 
empty  at  that !  They  had  fun  with  me  for  the  bal 
ance  of  the  day." 

"  It  was  a  most  unkind  practical  joke,  Mr.  Os 
wald,  and  I  sympathise  with  you,"  laughed  Sister 
Anne. 

"  Well,  salt-water  fellowship  makes  even  practical 
jokes  seem  good,"  answered  Jack. 

That  night  they  sat  playing  "  hearts  "  in  the  main 
saloon.  It  was  a  bright  starlight  night,  cloudless, 
but  with  no  moon.  Suddenly  a  whistle  was  heard, 
then  the  engine  bell  rang  out  the  signal  to  stop, 
and  then  came  three  bells  to  back  and  there  was 
considerable  commotion  on  deck.  A  sense  of  im 
pending  danger  came  suddenly  over  the  party,  and, 
while  the  women  looked  at  each  other  with  blanched 
faces,  the  men  rushed  to  the  deck.  As  Haswell, 
in  the  lead,  reached  the  door  of  the  companionway, 
a  crashing,  splintering  sound  was  heard,  and  the 
Ailsa  careened  over  sharply,  and  then  righted,  as 
the  hull  of  a  great,  black  vessel  swept  by  them, 
grating  and  scraping  as  she  tore  the  paint  and  rail 
from  their  fastenings,  and  floated  off  astern.  With 
an  involuntary  "  Great  God  !  we  are  in  collision," 
Haswell  grasped  the  rail  and  looked  mechanically 
after  the  disappearing  lights  of  the  great,  black 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  117 

monster.  Suddenly  a  cry  rang  out  up  forward : 
"  Man  overboard ! "  and  in  another  instant  they 
saw  a  form  in  the  water  almost  beneath  them. 
Without  an  instant's  hesitation  Jack  Oswald  threw 
off  his  coat,  and  shouting  back  :  "  Throw  me  a  life 
preserver,"  jumped  into  the  sea  and  struck  out 
boldly  for  the  struggling  sailor.  The  Ailsa  had  by 
this  time  come  to  a  full  stop,  and  the  men  in  the 
water  were  only  a  short  distance  astern.  Two  life 
preservers  were  thrown  out  to  them,  and  the  life 
boat  was  hurriedly  lowered.  The  women  rushed  up 
to  the  deck  after  the  first  fright  had  passed,  and, 
whereas  Margaret  and  Sister  Anne  were  on  the 
verge  of  hysterics,  Katherine  stood  with  impassive 
face,  rigid  and  erect.  "Where  is  my  husband?" 
she  called  to  the  four  men  who  had  gone  far  astern. 
"  He  is  all  right,  Mrs.  Oswald,  or  will  be  in  a  mo 
ment,"  shouted  back  Balford. 

The  sailor  in  the  water,  though  a  good  swimmer, 
had  been  struck  on  the  head  and  arm  by  a  block 
and  was  partially  stunned.  Still  he  was  made  of 
good  stuff,  and,  recovering  slightly,  had  been  able 
to  keep  his  head  above  water  until  Jack  reached 
him.  The  latter  encouraged  him,  and,  seizing  him 
in  the  armpit,  held  him  up  until  he  felt  his  own 
strength  giving  way. 

"  Can  you  strike  out  now  ?  "  said  Jack. 

"  No,  sir,  my  right  arm  is  broken,  I  think." 

"  Can  you  keep  up  until  I  get  that  life-preserver?  " 

"Yes,  sir,  I  think  so,  but  don't  mind  me." 


n8  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

Jack  swam  weakly  toward  the  floating  ring.  He 
was  glad  to  get  it  himself,  but  by  using  his  legs  with 
his  remaining  strength,  for  they  were  heavy  with 
the  weight  of  his  shoes  and  trousers,  he  was  able  to 
propel  the  cork  toward  the  sinking  sailor. 

"Cheer  up,  hold  on;  we  are  coming!"  shouted 
the  men  in  the  life-boat. 

Jack  heard  it  and  held  on,  but  his  strength  was 
ebbing  fast.  He  heard  voices  close  to  him  and 
then,  with  the  name  "  Clare  "  on  his  lips,  he  lost 
all  consciousness  of  his  surroundings.  When  he 
opened  his  eyes  again  he  saw  Van  bending  ten 
derly  over  him  and  heard  his  cheery  voice. 

"  Now,  old  man,  swallow  some  more  of  this  elixir 
of  life,  and  tell  us  all  about  it." 

Katherine  Oswald  stood  at  the  side  of  the  couch, 
and,  as  Jack  regained  consciousness,  she  took  his 
hand,  patted  it,  and  said : 

"  Brave  Jack." 

Soon,  with  the  aid  of  rubbing,  hot  bottles  and 
stimulants,  Jack  was  quite  himself  again,  but  his 
self-constituted  physicians  decided  that  he  must 
remain  in  bed  for  that  night.  They  told  him  that 
he  had  saved  the  life  of  one  of  the  crew,  and  how 
heroic  he  had  been,  but  he  met  all  their  praise  with 
a  deprecatory  gesture,  and  soon,  as  he  became 
drowsy  from  the  effects  of  his  exertion  and  the  hot 
drinks  they  had  given  him,  he  was  left  alone.  In 
the  saloon  they  discussed  their  narrow  escape  and 
the  rescue  of  the  sailor. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  119 

"  What  a  glorious  thing  to  do,  to  risk  one's  own 
life  in  trying  to  save  another,"  said  Billie. 

"Yes,  but  why  should  Jack  Oswald  risk  his  life 
in  trying  to  save  a  common  sailor,"  asked  Katherine. 

"  Ah,  Mrs.  Oswald,  there  is  the  nobility  of  the 
whole  thing.  I  am  sure  that  what  ran  through 
Jack's  mind,  beyond  the  quickness  of  thought,  was 
something  like  this:  'A  fellow-man  in  danger  of 
drowning;  I  am  a  good  swimmer.  He  must  be 
saved.'  He  never  thought,  no,  not  for  a  second : 
'  He  is  only  a  sailor,  my  life  is  worth  more  than  his ; 
what  is  the  use?'  He  just  threw  off  his  coat  and 
plunged  in,  and  he  didn't  take  long  about  it  either, 
did  he,  Ernest?"  said  Van. 

"  I  should  say  not.  I  tried  to  stop  him,  I  con 
fess  ;  of  course,  I  didn't  know  that  Anderson  had 
broken  his  arm,  and  I  remembered,  Charlie,  that 
you  once  said,  long  ago,  that  you  never  would  have 
a  sailor  aboard  who  couldn't  swim." 

"  It  was  the  noble  act  of  a  noble  man,"  said 
Balford.  "  I  have  always  admired  Jack,  but  it  takes 
an  occasion  like  this  to  show  up  the  true  nature  of 
a  man." 

"  Well,  if  my  hair  isn't  snowy  white  to-morrow 
morning,  I  shall  be  surprised,"  said  Margaret.  "  I 
am  so  upset,  I  am  trembling  still." 

"  How  can  you  be  trembling  still  ?  "  said  Billie, 
trying  to  be  facetious  and  as  well  to  change  the 
line  of  their  thought.  "  Trembling,  in  itself,  implies 
motion.  How,  then,  can  you  be  trembling  still  ?  " 


120  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"  Mr.  Brown,  your  witticisms  are,  to  say  the 
least,  ill  timed,"  answered  Margaret  haughtily. 

"Well,  I  don't  see  why  we  shouldn't  all  be  jolly 
now,  do  you  ?  We  have  had  a  collision,  lost  a  man 
overboard,  saved  him,  and  experienced  no  serious 
damage  ourselves." 

"  No,  you  have  not.  You  haven't  even  disarranged 
your  necktie.  '  We  have  lost  a  man  overboard,  and 
tuf  have  saved  him.'  Oh,  the  presumption  of  some 
people  !  " 

"  Well,  if  I  have  made  you  indignant,  or  angry,  I 
have  accomplished  something.  You  looked  so 
scared  just  now  that  I  wanted  to  do  something  to 
change  matters." 

Haswell  had  been  sitting  quiet  for  a  long  time. 
He  was  very  sorry  for  the  accident,  for  he  reasoned, 
and  rightly,  that  it  would  destroy  all  confidence  in 
his  boat  and  its  crew.  Nothing,  he  felt,  could  be 
said  which  would  restore  their  trust.  He  was  glad 
that  they  would  reach  Malta  the  following  evening, 
and  then  on  to  Alexandria,  where  they  would  leave 
the  boat  and  be  on  shore  for  a  couple  of  months, 
by  which  time  they  would  have  forgotten  the 
untoward  accident. 

"  I  can't  tell  you,"  he  said  finally  to  his  guests, 
"how  much  I  regret  this  unfortunate  accident. 
From  my  investigation,  I  cannot  believe  that  it  was 
our  fault,  but  what  I  most  fear  is  that  you  may  lose 
confidence  in  the  seamanship  of  my  sailing  master 
and  crew.  We  shall  reach  Malta  to-morrow,  I  hope, 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  121 

and  from  there  to  Alexandria  is  not  far  ;  then  we 
shall  be  ashore  for  some  time  and  I  hope  we  shall 
all  forget  this  incident." 

"  Now,  Charlie,  don't  take  things  hard.  I  feel 
sure  that  I  speak  for  all  when  I  say,  we  feel  that  it 
was  an  unavoidable  accident,  and  as  it  has  turned 
out  so  harmless,  we  shall  all  forget  it  and  sleep  none 
the  less  soundly  to-night  nor  have  any  anxiety  in 
the  future."  So  saying,  Van  Beuren  raised  his  glass 
and  added  :  "  I  drink  to  our  host  and  his  gallant 
guest,  Jack  Oswald." 

"  I  am  quite  unstrung,  Mr.  Haswell,  and  I  think 
I  will  retire,"  said  Sister  Anne,  making  the  first 
start.  And  so  the  little  party  scattered  for  the  night. 

Toward  sunset  on  the  following  day  the  Ailsa 
entered  the  harbour  of  Malta.  To  most  of  the  party, 
the  name  Malta  was  full  of  mysticism  ;  an  odour  of 
the  middle  ages  and  before  was  about  it.  And  a 
strange  place  it  is,  too.  The  old  battlements,  with 
drawbridge  and  portcullis,  built  on  a  bleak  and 
barren  rock,  are  there,  with  still  a  few  quaint  old 
buildings  amongst  the  new.  Some  of  the  old  cus 
toms  and  costumes  persist  yet  and  the  sirocco  from 
the  desert  is  always  there  in  Summer,  but  Malta  in 
the  Winter,  once  the  ponderous  fortifications  are 
passed,  reminds  one  only  of  Italy. 

On  the  morning  following  their  arrival,  Van 
Beuren  secured  a  boatman  to  carry  them  to  the 
landing.  Once  there,  they  took  two  landaus,  which 
looked  as  though  they  might  have  seen  service  dur- 


122  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

ing  the  Crusades,  and  drove  up  to  the  to\vn.  The 
women  wished  to  buy  some  real  Maltese  lace  and 
the  men  to  see  the  fortifications.  So  they  divided, 
Billie  taking  the  three  ladies,  while  Haswell,  Jack, 
Balford  and  Van  Beuren  made  a  tour  of  the  town. 
The  language  was  a  patois  of  Italian  and  Arabic, 
and  so  any  conversation  with  their  driver,  who  un 
derstood  no  English,  was  a  difficult  task.  Therefore 
this  latter  personage  exercised  his  own  untrammelled 
will  as  to  such  points  of  interest  as  he  thought  his 
party  should  see.  He  took  them  to  the  magnifi 
cent  cathedral,  thence  to  the  English  church,  from 
the  gardens  of  which  they  looked  down  upon  the 
fine  land-locked  harbour,  dotted  with  English  battle 
ships,  cruisers  and  torpedo  boats,  while  the  great 
guns  mounted  on  the  ramparts  all  around  gave 
the  place  a  stern  and  warlike  aspect. 

On  the  way  back  to  the  boat,  they  met  the 
ladies  with  their  escort,  and  on  reaching  the  At/sa, 
the  purchases  of  lace  and  filagree  work  were  ex 
hibited  and  admired. 

"  If  Captain  Burt  can  get  his  supplies  this  after 
noon,  what  do  you  say  to  our  pushing  on  to  Alex 
andria?"  asked  Haswell,  as  they  sat  at  lunch. 

All  agreed  to  the  proposal.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
most  of  them  were  anxious  to  leave  the  boat  for  a 
time.  The  accident  two  days  before  had  made  them 
all  a  little  nervous  and  Haswell  had  not  failed  to 
notice  it.  In  the  afternoon  most  of  the  party  went 
ashore  for  another  drive,  only  Haswell  and  Sister 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  123 

Anne  remaining  on  board.  It  had  happened  now, 
quite  often,  that  these  two  had  been  left  together 
alone. 

After  the  others  had  gone,  and  he  had  finished 
his  writing,  Haswell  came  up  and  joined  Sister 
Anne  on  deck. 

"  How  industrious  you  are,  Miss  Brown,"  he  said, 
sitting  down  beside  her. 

"  Yes,  I  always  try  to  be  busy.  You  know  the 
old  saying  about  the  devil  and  idle  hands  and  mis 
chief." 

"Yes,  perfectly,  but  I  don't  think  the  devil 
could  do  any  business  on  this  boat,  do  you?  " 

"  Oh,  no,  I  did  not  mean  to  apply  the  old  saying 
to  anybody  or  anything  in  particular,  Mr.  Haswell." 

"  You  have  never  thought  of  marrying,  have  you, 
Miss  Brown?" 

Sister  Anne  started  convulsively.  "  It's  coming;  I 
knew  it  would.  Oh,  why  did  I  stay  alone  with  him  !  " 
she  thought.  She  was  blushing  now,  and  her  fancy 
work  dropped  at  her  feet.  Haswell  bent  to 
recover  it  for  her. 

"Because,"  added  he  lazily.  "  I  have  a  delicate 
matter  of  this  kind  on  my  mind  and  I  would  like 
some  friendly  advice.  A  friend  of  mine,  of  mature 
years,  is  head  over  heels  in  love.  He  does  not 
know  what  to  do  in  the  matter.  He  is  very  proud 
and  dislikes  to  bring  a  refusal  upon  himself,  yet  the 
uncertainty  is  driving  him  wild." 

"  The  poor  fellow  !     I  did  not  know  I  had  encour- 


124  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

aged  him  so  much.  I  wonder  if  it  will  effect  his 
future  life,"  thought  Sister  Anne. 

"  By  the  way,  Miss  Brown,"  continued  Haswell, 
"  you  know  him,  I  fancy — Fred  Jones  ;  he  writes  me 
a  doleful  tale  all  about  his  trouble." 

"  Oh  ! "  exclaimed  Miss  Brown  with  a  decided 
touch  of  disappointment  in  her  voice. 

"  Yes,  I  am  violating  no  confidence  in  telling  you 
his  name,  as  long  as  I  say  nothing  of  the  woman  in 
the  question.  Fred,  you  know,  wears  his  heart  on 
his  sleeve,  and  is  always  more  or  less  in  love,  but 
now,  at  the  age  of  forty  or  past,  he  seems  to  be 
really  hard  hit." 

"  My  experience,  Mr.  Haswell,  in  such  matters  is 
limited,  and  derived  mostly  from  books,  you  know, 
but  it  seems  to  me  that  a  man  ought  to  be  able  to 
tell  whether  the  lady  is  partial  to  him  or  not,  and 
brave  enough  to  ask  the  question  and  settle  his 
fate." 

"  Well,  I  imagine  Fred  wanted  to  talk  or  write  to 
some  one,  and  probably  felt  better  after  it  was 
done.  I  shall  wait  awhile  before  answering  his 
letter.  There  come  our  people." 

For  two  more  days  they  skirted  the  low-lying 
coast  of  Tripoli,  now  being  out  of  sight  of  land  and 
again  coming  quite  close — close  enough  to  make 
out  the  graceful  palm  trees  along  the  shore.  On 
the  third  day  they  could  see  in  the  offing  the  great 
light-house  at  the  entrance  to  the  bay  of  Alexan 
dria. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  125 

"  There  is  Egypt,"  shouted  Haswell,  as  he  took 
down  his  marine  glasses  and  handed  them  to  Jack. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  cried  Margaret,  "  and  that  is  the 
modern  Pharos  of  Alexandria.  I  wonder  if  the  old 
one  stood  there  ?  " 

"  There,  or  near  there,"  replied  Jack.  "  It  was 
an  island  in  the  old  days,  I  think." 

As  they  approached  the  long  breakwater,  a  pecu 
liar-looking  sailboat  approached  them.  It  had  the 
short,  stout  mast  well  forward,  with  the  long 
slender  boom  balanced  and  lashed  to  it,  and  the 
large  triangular  sail  of  all  Egyptian  boats.  In  the 
stern  and  steering,  sat  the  old  white-bearded  sheik, 
with  long  black  gown,  white  turban,  and  the  red 
tarbouche,  or  fez,  showing  in  the  centre. 

"Doesn't  that  look  biblical?  The  patriarchal 
old  fellow  looks  as  though  he  were  taken  out  of  a 
picture  book.  What  does  he  want,  Mr.  Haswell  ?  " 
asked  Katherine. 

"  He  is  the  pilot ;  we  shall  have  to  stop  and  take 
him  aboard.  The  channel  is  very  tortuous  from 
here  to  the  pier,  although  the  distance  is  short." 

The  boat  came  alongside  and  the  pilot  climbed 
up  the  rope  ladder  with  surprising  agility  for  an 
old  man.  Then  the  boat  sheered  off  and  the  Ailsa 
began  to  move  again. 

All  the  guests  had  been  busy  for  hours  previous 
with  their  baggage,  sorting  winter  from  summer 
clothing,  and  packing  away  what  they  would  leave 
behind.  Soon  they  anchored  close  to  the  great 


126          AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

stone  quay  and  were  quickly  surrounded  with  fe 
lucca  crowded  with  swarthy  Arabs,  and  repulsive- 
looking  Greeks,  all  with  something  to  sell.  It  was 
a  very  heterogeneous  crowd.  Suddenly  a  felucca, 
much  better  looking  than  the  rest,  made  its  way- 
through  the  boats.  A  handsome  man  stood  in 
the  stern  and  laid  about  him,  right  and  left,  with  a 
stout  hide  whip  which  he  carried  in  his  hand.  The 
boats  parted  like  magic.  Like  whipped  dogs,  the 
natives  scrambled  to  get  out  of  reach.  But  it  was 
only  Selim,  the  dragoman,  who  had  been  engaged 
by  Haswell  to  take  charge  of  the  party  in  Cairo  and 
up  the  Nile. 

As  the  boat  c^me  closer,  they  could  not  help  but 
admire  him.  He  was  a  Syrian,  from  Beyreuth,  and 
had  received  a  liberal  education  in  the  American 
College  at  that  place.  He  spoke  English  excel 
lently,  and  of  course  Arabic  was  his  native  tongue. 
A  smattering  of  French  and  of  Italian  made  it  possi 
ble  for  him  to  go  anywhere  in  Cairo  and  Alexandria 
and  make  himself  understood.  As  he  stepped  on 
the  deck,  he  was  a  striking  picture.  His  costume 
consisted  of  an  electric-blue  garment  reaching  to  his 
ankles,  and  elaborately  embroidered  with  a  darker 
blue,  fine  silk  braid,  in  a  pattern  somewhat  military. 
One  side  overlapped  the  other,  and  a  silk  sash  of 
many  colours  held  it  at  the  waist.  His  head  was 
covered  with  the  ever-present  red  tarbouche,  with 
black  tassel,  and  his  legs  were  encased  in  highly 
polished,  tan-coloured  top  boots.  His  face  was 


A>" 


v  r-r  iiii-st  :>: 
-Is  K-.  H 

*  V  ~L  I  £3T 

*  "  I  «3T  jtmr 

21 


T    ?   nui.    sr* 


ODB 


Y=s.    sn-    -±trr  ia^r   brrr   •liillii^  ior  y««  inr 
ss  rr  irur  isji.'" 
ATT  rurr    nanu   a^»mo»  is  Cno*  tans 


ST"  . 


nx:  ±  ie  Tinr  rr  3it=:  sane  irnr  -ws 
szuf  Ki^sm. 
*"  Tiff  ZHn.ii:  us 


_  c   rr>a.  -mnm  H^   Xdhaft  Otem>  TT 


- 


128  AN   ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"Yes,  my  lady,  I  have  just  left  them  to  come  to 
you.  They  are  at  the  Ghezireh  Palace  Hotel." 

"  Good  !     How  long  have  they  been  there  ?  " 

"They  came  from  India  on  the  Caledonia  about 
three  weeks  ago." 

"And  are  the  young  ladies  well  ?" 

"  Yes,  my  lady  ;  Miss  Ethel  climbed  to  the  top  of 
the  pyramid  a  few  days  ago." 

Two  hours  later  they  were  speeding  toward 
Cairo.  They  had  secured  the  large  compartment 
in  the  railway  carriage,  and  all  eight  had  crowded 
into  a  compartment  for  six. 

Until  darkness  came,  they  watched  from  the 
windows  the  new  and  strange  phases  of  life  pre 
sented  to  their  view  and  in  the  various  villages 
through  which  they  passed.  At  a  few  minutes  after 
seven,  they  were  landed  at  the  Central  Station  in 
Cairo,  and  were  thence  hurried,  amidst  a  bewilder 
ing  confusion  of  tongues  and  snapping  of  whips,  to 
that  world-renowned  caravansery,  Shepheard's 
Hotel. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THERE  is  Cairo  the  old  and  Cairo  the  new. 
Cairo  the  old  is  the  unchanged  Cairo  of  a  thousand 
years.  Cairo  the  new  is  a  modern  city  ;  Turkish 
and  arabesque  in  architecture,  it  is  true,  but 
modern  in  its  broad  and  watered  streets,  its  well- 
kept  lawns,  and  in  the  general  entourage  of  its  resi 
dences.  The  old  and  the  new  lie  side  by  side, 
separated  by  a  partition,  as  it  were — the  Esbekyeh 
Gardens.  Strictly  speaking,  however,  we  should 
refer  to  New  Cairo,  Old  Cairo,  and  Oldest  Cairo 
to  the  west  of  the  city,  the  ancient  fortress  of 
Babylon. 

The  party  from  the  Ailsa  ascended  the  broad 
steps  leading  to  the  extensive  terrace  in  front  of 
Shepheard's  Hotel.  Everything  seemed  too  modern 
to  them  at  first.  Many  people  were  sitting  at  the 
small  tables,  under  the  garish  glare  of  a  dozen 
electric  lamps,  and,  as  they  entered  the  hotel,  the 
smiling  manager,  dressed  in  the  most  approved 
continental  costume,  met  them.  They  did  not 
stop  to  remember  that  Shepheard's  is  the  very  cen 
tre  of  European  Cairo.  It  is  as  well,  perhaps,  for 
one  visiting  Egypt  for  the  first  time  to  become  dis 
illusionized  in  this  way.  It  prepares  one  for  the 
real  after  enjoyment  of  the  novel  sights  and  sounds 


130          AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

of  the  real  Egypt — the  Egypt  that  has  never 
changed  and  never  will. 

They  passed  up  the  spacious  stairway,  flanked  on 
either  side  by  two  statues  of  generously  propor 
tioned  Nubian  ladies  in  bathing  costume,  and,  after 
visiting  their  rooms,  all  assembled  in  the  great  hall, 
and  when  the  forces  were  marshalled,  proceeded  to 
the  restaurant.  As  they  seated  themselves,  Haswell 
looked  about  him. 

"Really,  isn't  this  room  a  revelation?"  he 
observed.  "  It  is  all  so  different  from  what  I  had 
pictured  in  my  mind." 

"  Indeed  it  is,"  answered  Margaret ;  "  the  room  is 
like  any  handsome  restaurant  anywhere  in  the 
Egyptian  style,  and  the  waiters  are  all  Europeans, 
and  the  cooking  French." 

"  Did  you  notice,  though,  the  crowd  of  turbaned 
and  quaintly-dressed  people  on  the  sidewalk  as  we 
came  in  ?  "  asked  Balford. 

"  Yes,  they  looked  like  the  supernumeraries  in  a 
theatrical  show." 

"  Well,  we  must  not  form  our  ideas  of  Egypt  by 
a  superficial  glance  at  Shepheard's  Hotel,  surely," 
said  Van  Beuren. 

"  I'm  crazy  to  see  a  dahabeah,  aren't  you,  Mar 
garet  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  am,  Katherine  ;  the  very  name  sounds 
poetical  and  ancient." 

"You  ladies  must  not  be  too  impatient.  I  want 
to  have  our  boat  arranged  in  my  own  way  before 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  131 

you  go  aboard,  and  then  we  can  change  it  to  suit 
the  feminine  idea,  for  you  must  remember  it's  to  be 
our  house  and  home  for  two  whole  months." 

"  What's  her  name?  " 

"  The  Amtnon-Ra,  Great  King  of  all  the  Egyptian 
Gods.  I  hope  his  divinity  will  keep  good  watch 
and  ward  over  us,  and  bring  us  back  as  good  friends 
as  we  are  now,  for  it  is  a  great  strain  on  all  the  car 
dinal  virtues,  you  know,  for  people  to  be  boxed  up 
so  closely  for  so  long  a  time." 

"I  won't  quarrel  with  any  one,  I  promise  you," 
said  Billie. 

"  Nor  I,"  echoed  Margaret. 

"  Well,  you  two  don't  count  anyway  ;  your  bicker 
ings  are  like  a  dash  of  tabasco  to  an  unflavoured 
soup,"  said  Van. 

"Thank  )rou,"  answered  Billie;  "tabasco  is  posi 
tive  enough,  so  I  take  that  as  a  compliment,  don't 
you,  Margaret  ?  " 

"Oh,  yes,  I  suppose  so.  Mr.  Van  Beuren  is  so 
old  and  prosaic  that  he  needs  some  stimulation." 

"  Otherwise  I  shouldn't  take  any  interest  in  your 
childish  amusements,  I  suppose,"  laughed  Van. 

After  dinner  they  wandered  out  into  the  spacious 
corridors,  drank  their  coffee  and  smoked  the  deli 
cious  Egyptian  cigarettes,  and  Jack  brought  them 
the  Gazette  and  Sphinx,  from  which  they  gleaned 
the  latest  news  of  Cairo  and  the  outside  world. 
Haswell  met  two  Englishmen,  one  of  whom  he  had 
run  across  on  some  of  his  previous  travels,  and  he 


132  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

brought  them  to  the  ladies  and  introduced  them, 
Mr.  Villiers  and  young  Lord  Annersley.  They 
were  on  their  way  back  from  Somaliland,  where 
they  had  been  hunting  lions  and  elephants.  They 
were  to  go  up  the  Nile,  they  said,  in  a  few  days, 
with  an  English  friend,  Sir  John  and  Lady  Wilt 
shire,  or  rather  to  meet  them  at  Assiut,  for  the 
party  had  already  started. 

Young  Annersley  seemed  quite  taken  with  Mar- 
garet,  and  spent  a  full  hour  talking  with  her.  At 
last,  however,  Katherine  suggested  good-night  as 
it  was  getting  late,  and  the  women  withdrew,  while 
the  men  adjourned  to  the  American  bar  fora  night 
cap  and  a  bite. 

"So  you  are  going  up  the  river,"  said  Haswell. 
"  I'm  glad  to  hear  it.  We  expect  to  start  in  a  week, 
and  we  shall  probably  see  a  lot  of  each  other. 
Funny,  my  meeting  you  here,  isn't  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  answered  Villiers,  "  do  you  recollect  where 
we  first  met?  " 

"  Perfectly ;  it  was  in  Japan,  between  Kobe  and 
Yokohama  on  the  train.  Yes,  it  was  at  Nagoya,  I 
remember  now,  by  Jove!  How  furious  we  all  were 
about  it.  You  wanted  something  to  drink,  soda  or 
something,  and  enquired  of  the  guard,  in  alleged 
Japanese,  where  to  get  it,  and  off  you  sauntered. 
The  train  was  held  for  about  fifteen  minutes  for 
you,  and  when  you  reappeared  in  the  distance, 
nothing  could  hurry  you.  You  strolled  back  and 
stepped  leisurely  on  the  train,  as  though  it  was 
your  own  private  conveyance." 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  133 

Villiers  laughed.     "  I  had  forgotten  all  that." 

"  Well,  it  is  just  as  he  behaves  now,"  put  in  An- 
nersley  ;  "  I  can  appreciate  your  feelings." 

"  We  made  a  few  very  pertinent  remarks  that 
day  on  the  train,  about  you,  I  can  swear  to  that." 

"  What's  the  name  of  your  dahabeah,  Mr.  Vil 
liers  ?  "  asked  Jack  after  a  pause. 

"The  Ki nct-el-Nil ;  Queen  of  the  Nile,  it  means 
in  English." 

"  Oh,  I  have  heard  of  her ;  she  belongs  to  some 
Russian  or  private  individual,  doesn't  she  ?  "  asked 
Haswell. 

"Yes,  I  believe  she  was  built  originally  for  the 
Khedive's  mother,  but  was  sold  and  passed  through 
a  number  of  hands  since.  She  is  a  fine  boat  of  the 
kind,  I  believe." 

"Large  party?"  asked  Billie  curiously. 

"  No,  no  one  but  Wiltshire,  his  wife  and  a  com 
panion." 

"  What  a  jolly  time  you  will  have." 

"  Yes,  we  hope  to.  Wiltshire,  you  know,  is  very 
fond  of  shooting,  has  his  moors  in  Scotland,  and  all 
that,  and  hopes  to  give  us  some  sport,  but  I  have 
never  heard  of  much  of  that  kind  of  thing  here, 
have  you?  " 

"  Yes,  they  get  ducks  and  snipe  and  quail  in  sea 
son,  I  believe." 

"Well,  I'm  going  to  turn  in,"  said  Van,  yawning. 
"  Good-night." 

"  It's  time  for  all  of  us,  isn't  it  ?  "  added  Annersley, 
and  the  party  broke  up. 


134  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

The  next  morning  at  nine  o'clock  they  all  started 
out  to  see  the  pyramids.  Selim  had  engaged  two 
donkeys,  one  for  Margaret  and  one  for  Billie.  The 
rest  were  content  with  two  open  carriages.  The 
names  of  the  donkeys  were  Mary  Anderson  and 
General  Grant.  Had  English  people  bestrode  them, 
the  names  would  doubtless  have  been  changed  at 
once  to  Ellen  Terry  and  Gladstone.  The  Egyptian 
donkey  boy  is  very  adaptable.  They  passed  up 
Kamel  Street  and  turned  abruptly  to  the  right 
opposite  the  great  monument  to  Ibrahim  Pasha, 
and  then,  after  passing  the  English  Embassy  and  the 
Hotel  Continental,  they  took  the  direct  road,  Kasr- 
el-Nil,  and  brought  up  at  the  new  bridge.  Every 
thing  was  modern  on  the  way.  But  upon  passing 
over,  the  scene  changed.  Sitting  clustered  at  the  far 
side  they  passed  a  dozen  Egyptian  Syce,  men  em 
ployed  as  forerunners  to  the  carriages,  or  traps,  of 
the  richer  inhabitants.  Fine  muscular  fellows  they 
were,  in  a  most  picturesque  costume. 

Their  legs  were  bare  and  brown.  They  wore 
full,  white  Zouave  trousers,  with  white  shirts,  the 
latter  covered  by  a  Zouave  jacket  of  brilliant  red 
or  green,  covered  with  gold  or  silver  embroidery. 
A  red  silk  sash  was  wound  about  the  forehead 
holding  the  fez  in  place.  Each  Syce  carried  a  white 
wand  or  stick,  and  as  they  ran  in  perfect  step,  about 
forty  yards  in  front  of  the  carriage,  their  sonorous 
cries  warned  pedestrians,  camels  and  donkeys  to 
move  aside  and  allow  Mr.  or  Mrs.  Somebody  the 
right  of  way. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  135 

As  they  passed  to  the  second  bridge,  Katherine 
exclaimed  : 

"Just  look  at  that  string  of  camels,  there  must 
be  thirty." 

"  Yes,  and  see  how  they  are  fastened  one  to 
another  with  that  loose  rope.  What  are  they 
carrying  in  those  net-work  paniers?  Why,  it's  stone 
and  bricks!  How  primitive  !" 

"  How  supercilious  they  look;  they  seem  just  as 
though  they  were  saying  :  '  You  poor  modern  pro 
ducts,  look  at  us,  we  represent  thousands  of  centu 
ries,  bygone  ages  more  in  years  than  days  of  your 
life.'" 

"  They  have  a  most  haughty  bearing,  haven't 
they,  Jack?"  said  Balfcrd. 

"  Yes,  they  haven't  the  appearance  of  being  '  meek 
and  mild,'  and  I  think  they  must  be  ugly  at  times, 
for  you  see  some  of  them  have  plaited  muzzles  over 
the  nose." 

"  Our  Billie  won't  suffer  from  liver  complaint  for 
some  time,  I  think,"  said  Van.  "  Just  see  how 
General  Grant  is  shaking  him  up.  Margaret's  steed 
is  a  rocking  horse  compared  with  the  General." 

"Oh,  look,  did  you  ever  see  anything  so  funny?" 
cried  Sister  Anne,  as  she  pointed  to  an  enormous 
bunch  of  freshly  cut  grass  which  was  moving  by 
them.  The  head  and  ears  of  a  patient  donkey  were 
visible  in  front,  four  little  mincing  feet  below,  and 
the  suspicion  of  a  tail  behind.  Contentedly  squatted 
on  top  of  all  was  one  of  the  fellaheen,  in  bright 


136  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

blue  gown  and  white  capote,  industriously  munch 
ing  a  stick  of  sugar  cane. 

"  Why,  that  lazy  brute  weighs  as  much  as  the 
donkey,"  said  Van  as  they  looked  after  it. 

"That's  the  way  in  Egypt ;  the  Pasha  orders  the 
Bey  about,  the  Bey  beats  the  Effendi,  and  the 
Effendi  maltreats  the  fellah,  and  the  fellaheen  can 
get  square  only  by  abusing  their  donkeys  or  camels. 
If  there  were  a  society  for  the  prevention  of  cruelty 
to  animals  in  Egypt,  and  they  arrested  all  offenders, 
there  would  be  no  work  done  in  town  or  field,  but  I 
believe  it  is  not  so  bad  as  it  was.  In  fact,  I  have  read 
somewhere  that  the  foreigners  have  started  a 
society  of  this  kind,"  answered  Haswell. 

"  Look,  look,  there  are  the  pyramids  !  "  and  Kath- 
erine,  from  the  backseat,  stood  and  pointed  through 
the  acacia  trees,  and  there,  in  the  distant  blue  haze, 
most  of  them  had  their  first  view  of  these  symmet 
rical  sepulchres  of  the  dead.  They  had  now  turned 
into  the  long,  straight  five-mile  road  lined  with 
acacias  and  flanked  on  either  side  by  fields  of  wav 
ing  grass  and  grain. 

Dykes  and  ditches  abound,  and  the  white  heron 
and  vulture  were  constantly  flying  across  the  road 
in  front,  while  the  curiously  coloured  Egyptian  crow 
croaked  out  his  hoarse  welcome  as  they  clattered  by. 

They  decided  to  leave  the  carnages  at  the  Mena 
House,  that  comfortable  and  salubrious  hostelry, 
and  walk  or  take  camels  up  to  the  base  of  the  great 
pile.  Billie  and  Margaret,  surrounded  by  a  horde 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  137 

of  Bedouin  Arabs,  had  already  gone  on.  As  Selim 
remained  with  the  carnages,  the  Bedouins  knew 
themselves  free  from  all  restraint,  and  bothered  the 
young  people  with  requests  to  buy  the  hundred  and 
one  spurious  relics  which  they  produced  from  the 
folds  of  their  garments.  Billie  longed  for  the  balance 
of  the  party  to  join  them,  and  it  was  not  long  before 
all  were  standing  together  at  the  foot  of  the  colossal 
pile.  Lost  in  wonder,  they  could  say  nothing. 
They  visited  the  Sphinx,  too,  that  grim  and  silent 
guardian  of  the  plains.  Billie  secured  his  camera, 
from  Selim  and,  amid  forceful  threats  and  protests, 
obtained  some  good  pictures  of  Sister  Anne  on  a 
camel. 

"  They  will  sell  well  in  New  York,"  he  said. 

The  rest  of  the  party  were  convulsed  with 
laughter,  for  the  picture  of  Sister  Anne  in  her 
quaint  costume,  with  frightened  face,  perched  high 
in  air  on  her  dromedary,  the  pyramids  as  a  back 
ground,  presented  an  opportunity  which  her 
brother,  who  had  a  strong  sense  of  the  ridiculous, 
was  quick  to  seize. 

Billie  insisted  on  leading  his  donkey  back  and 
making  the  third  on  a  seat  in  the  carriage,  pleading 
that  considerable  of  his  anatomy  was  hopelessly 
gone  and  his  internal  economy  shifted  about  so 
that  he  felt  his  heart  beat  on  the  right  side. 

They  arrived  at  the  hotel  at  four  o'clock,  and 
found  that  the  Clinton  family  had  called  during 
their  absence,  but  they  telephoned  to  the  Ghezireh 


138  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

Palace  Hotel  and  invited  them  all  to  take  tea  on 
Shcpheard's  verandah  at  five.  The  young  ladies 
accepted.  Ethel  and  Mary  Clinton  were  types  of 
New  York  girls  of  the  period.  Ethel,  who  was 
three  years  the  elder,  had,  at  the  age  of  twenty,  a 
very  blasd  and  independent  manner,  and  while  un 
deniably  pretty,  was  of  so  positive  a  nature  that 
she  made  but  few  real  friends.  Her  younger  sister, 
Mary,  was  only  seventeen,  but  a  very  lovely,  quiet 
girl.  Retiring  always  in  favour  of  her  sister,  she 
looked  up  to  her  as  the  embodiment  of  all  that  was 
good  and  admirable.  The  elder  was  one  to  admire 
from  afar.  The  younger  was  one  to  fall  in  love  with. 

At  five  o'clock  the  English  band  was  playing  in 
the  garden,  and  tea  and  cake  was  being  served  on  the 
terrace.  The  Haswell  party  had  secured  a  good 
table,  and  were  watching  the  changing  panorama  of 
people  and  things.  A  blue-gowned  Arab  held  up 
to  view,  from  the  sidewalk,  a  lot  of  donkey  chains 
in  blue  beads  and  tinkling  brass  coins.  A  black- 
gowned  Bedouin  with  snowy  turban  untied  his 
bandanna  kerchief  to  exhibit  his  real  scarabs  at 
only  a  few  piastres  each  !  A  troop  of  Indian  fakirs 
held  up  a  slimy  cobra  and  wanted  to  make  a  mangoe 
tree  grow  from  the  sidewalk  while  you  wait. 

After  fifteen  minutes  or  so,  a  smart  victoria 
drove  up.  The  coachman  was  clad  in  light  grey 
and  wore  a  red  tarbouche.  Beside  him  on  the  box 
sat  the  Clinton's  dragoman  and  the  two  ladies  on 
the  back  seat  were  the  Clinton  girls. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  139 

Van  and  Balford  hurried  forward  to  meet  them, 
and  in  a  few  moments  the  greetings  were  over  and 
conversation  had  dropped  into  the  natural  channel 
of  gossip  and  personality. 

"  Where  are  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oswald  ;  aren't  they 
with  your  party  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  they  went  shopping  a  little  while  ago  ; 
they  ought  to  be  back  by  this  time,"  said  Margaret, 

All  were  invited  out  to  the  Ghezireh  Palace  for 
the  following  afternoon,  to  hear  the  music  and  have 
a  cup  of  tea.  At  last,  just  as  the  lights  began  to 
blink  out  on  the  soft,  dry  air,  the  Clinton  girls  said 
good-night  and  drove  off. 

The  following  week  was  spent  in  seeing  the 
sights.  They  went  up  to  the  citadel  and  inspected 
the  great  mosque  of  Mahomet  Ali.  They  saw 
where  the  Mamelukes  were  massacred.  Then  they 
visited  a  dozen  smaller  mosques,  less  pretentious 
but  more  antique.  Selim  took  them  through  the 
streets  of  old  Cairo  on  foot  and  they  walked  the 
full  length  of  the  Muski.  On  Tuesday  they  went 
to  see  the  dancing  Dervishes  and  on  Friday  to  see 
the  howling  Dervishes.  They  drove  to  Heliopolis 
and  saw  the  obelisk.  They  spent  two  mornings  at 
the  Gizeh  Museum.  They  studied  the  mummies 
of  the  Pharaohs.  They  saw  the  superb  jewelry  re 
cently  exhumed  and  Van  remarked: 

"Truly,  there  is  nothing  new  under  the  sun." 

"  Except  the  safety  bicycle  and  the  telephone," 
added  Billie. 


I4o  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"  Well,  how  do  we  know  that  they  didn't  utilize 
electricity  ?  "  answered  Van. 

"  How  do  you  suppose  they  did  these  things, 
this  moving  of  immense  masses  of  stone  hundreds 
of  miles  ?" 

"  It  beggars  thought,"  said  Jack. 

Saturday  had  been  appointed  as  the  day  to  visit 
the  dahabeah.  At  eleven  o'clock  they  all  drove 
over  to  Bulak,  where  the  boat  was.  The  Amman- 
Ra  had  been  towed  out  into  the  stream  %a  bit,  so 
they  had  to  be  ferried  to  her  in  small  boats. 

"  And  is  that  a  typical  dahabeah  ?  "  asked  Margaret, 
as  they  approached  her. 

"  Yes,  a  type  of  the  dahabeah  of  to-day.  Very 
likely  they  were  somewhat  different  in  Cleopatra's 
time,"  answered  Haswell. 

They  clambered  over  the  rail  of  the  lower  deck, 
which  occupied  about  a  fifth  of  the  forward  part  of 
the  craft,  and  they  ascended  a  flight  of  stairs  on  either 
side  to  the  main  deck  and  parlour  of  the  boat.  It 
was  completely  canopied  with  bright  Arabian  hang 
ings  of  every  colour.  The  deck  had  been  trans 
formed  into  a  most  attractive  room.  The  floor  was 
covered  with  soft  rugs.  An  upright  piano  in  one 
corner,  and  two  divans,  with  tables  and  chairs,  and 
palms  and  flowers,  made  the  deck  look  most  invit 
ing  and  oriental. 

The  ladies  were  delighted,  and  when  John,  the 
steward,  had  brought  up  some  steaming  tea  and 
cakes  on  a  brass  tray,  and  Ali,  his  assistant,  had 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  141 

opened  the  soda,  they  all  voted  that  their  future 
home  was  a  great  success.  A  little  later  they  went 
down  to  inspect  the  sleeping  rooms  and  main  cabin 
or  saloon.  These  were  all  above  the  water.  The 
dining-room  was  the  full  width  of  the  boat.  It  was 
very  large  and  fitted  up  in  arabesque  hangings  and 
furniture.  The  rooms  were  of  good  size,  some  en 
suite  and  others  single. 

"  Now,  everybody,  will  you  be  ready  to  start  up 
the  river  on  Monday  at  noon  ?  "  asked  Haswell. 

"  We  will,"  answered  the  other  voices. 

"  Then  it  is  settled,  Selim,  that  we  lunch  on 
board,  and  start  as  soon  after  noon  as  possible.  ' 

"  Very  good,  sir." 

They  all  drove  back  to  the  hotel  delighted  with 
what  they  had  seen.  Van  and  Balford,  however, 
were  sent  over  to  the  Ghezireh  Palace  to  ask  the 
Clintons  to  take  tea  on  theAmmon-Rathe  following 
day,  Sunday. 

On  Monday  morning  early,  the  crew  of  the  Am- 
mon-Ra,  eleven  in  number,  were  busily  engaged  in 
transporting  the  luggage  and  belongings  of  Haswell 
and  Company  from  the  hotel  to  the  boat,  and  at 
one  o'clock  the  Ammon-Ra  herself  pointed  her 
nose  up  stream  and,  with  a  favourable  but  light 
breeze,  began  to  force  her  way  against  a  three-mile 
current  at  a  three  and  one-half  mile  gait,  and  the 
Americans  had  started  for  Assouan,  five  hundred 
and  eighty  miles  south. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

"WELL,  Miss  Jones,  I  am  glad  to  say  that  it  isn't 
broken." 

So  spoke  Dr.  Van  Rennsalaer,  as  he  held  Mar 
garet's  pretty,  swollen  ankle  in  his  hand,  after  a 
long  and  presumably  exhaustive  examination  of 
her  injury. 

They  had  reached  Abydos,  or  rather  Balianeh, 
the  night  before,  and,  after  the  Ammon-Ra  had  tied 
up  at  the  bank,  Selim  informed  them  that  there  was 
another  dahabeah,  flying  the  American  flag,  directly 
in  front  of  their  boat.  Of  course,  this  fact  caused 
them  all  to  speculate  as  to  the  name  of  the  boat, 
and  the  identity  of  their  countrymen.  Selim  was 
sent  ashore  immediately  after  dinner,  and  soon  re 
ported  that  the  boat  was  the  Columbia,  and  the 
party,  a  Mr.  Carter  and  friends,  including  a  doctor 
somebody,  all  from  Philadelphia.  After  dinner 
Van  Beuren,  Jack  and  Balford  started  for  a  stroll 
along  the  river  bank,  and  in  the  darkness  ran  into 
some  people  coming  from  the  opposite  direction. 
The  Nubian  boatman  and  guide,  carrying  the  lan 
tern  from  the  Ammon-Ra,  had  stumbled  against 
the  boatman  who  was  guiding  a  similar  party  from 
the  Columbia. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  143 

It  happened  as  they  were  crossing  a  shadoof 
ditch,  and  both  men  had  their  lanterns  broken  and 
extinguished.  While  the  guides  were  swearing  vig- 
ourously  at  each  other,  the  two  parties  became  ac 
quainted,  and  it  not  unnaturally  followed  that  the 
travellers  from  the  Ammon-Ra  were  invited  to  go  on 
board  the  Columbia.  Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  Van 
Beuren,  Oswald  and  Balford  became  acquainted 
with  Carter,  White  and  Van  Rennsalaer. 

The  morning  following,  Jack,  Van  and  Ernest, 
Margaret,  Katherine  and  Billie,  started  for  Abydos. 
This  was  an  eight-mile  ride,  and  the  donkeys  were 
proverbially  bad.  They  had  examined  the  wonders 
of  this  but  partially  excavated  ruin,  and  had  taken 
their  lunch  beneath  its  massive  roof.  They  had 
tried  to  picture  the  divine  Harmachis  in  his  agony 
and  desolation,  as  he  saw  the  great  God  Osiris  re 
vealed  to  him.  They  had  taken  numerous  pictures 
of  its  interior  and  approaches,  and  were  on  their 
way  back  to  the  boat,  and  not  more  than  a  mile 
from  their  destination,  when,  while  trying  to  race 
on  a  narrow  path,  Margaret's  donkey  fell  suddenly 
to  his  knees,  throwing  his  rider  forward  like  a  cata 
pult.  Billie  checked  his  animal  as  quickly  as  pos 
sible  and,  jumping  off,  ran  back  to  aid  his  fallen 
companion  while  his  own  donkey  trotted  off  for 
Balianeh  and  supper.  When  Billie  reached  her  and 
saw  Balford  with  Margaret's  head  in  his  lap,  while 
she  lay  there  quite  white  and  helpless,  a  big  sob  rose 
to  his  lips.  In  a  few  moments,  however,  she  opened 


144  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

her  eyes  and  attempted  to  rise,  but,  with  a  little 
scream  of  pain,  fell  back  faint.  She  soon  became 
herself  again  and  asked  for  her  donkey.  Number 
One,  as  he  was  called,  was  standing  placidly  by,  and 
Balford  and  Billie  seated  her  on  the  side  saddle,  first 
unlacing  her  high  boot,  as  the  ankle  had  already 
swollen  and  was  very  painful.  So  the  procession 
started,  Billie  supporting  Margaret  in  the  saddle, 
and  Ernest  leading  Number  One.  Billie  thought 
that  he  was  entirely  responsible  for  the  mishap,  and 
both  he  and  Balford  tried  in  their  clumsy,  masculine 
way  to  comfort  Margaret  and  distract  her  thoughts 
from  herself,  by  calling  her  attention  to  all  kinds  of 
foolish  things  by  the  roadside.  Jack,  Van  and 
Katherine,  who  had  been  left  far  behind,  now  came 
up  and  were  very  sympathetic.  When  they  reached 
the  boat,  two  of  the  crew  came  up  the  bank  and 
carefully  carried  the  invalid  to  her  room.  Sister 
Anne  and  Katherine  examined  the  poor  foot  and 
found  it  much  swollen  and  blackened,  and,  alarmed 
at  its  appearance,  called  a  consultation  in  the  saloon, 
where  it  was  decided  to  send  over  to  the  Columbia 
and  see  if  Dr.  Van  Rennsalaer  would  come  and 
advise  them.  So  it  happened  that  we  find  the  good- 
looking  young  doctor  holding  Margaret's  ankle  and 
speaking  words  of  cheer  to  her.  Billie  instinctively 
disliked  the  young  Medic  from  the  first,  and  when 
he  saw  the  deference  and  attention  bestowed  upon 
him  by  the  women  of  the  party,  and  the  time  he 
took  in  making  his  diagnosis,  he  hated  him,  and 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  145 

took  a  drink  of  brandy  and  water  and  a  cigarette 
to  comfort  himself. 

"  Well,  Doctor,  how  long  will  it  be  before  I  can 
walk  again  ?  "  asked  Margaret,  after  a  pause. 

"  It  is  hard  to  say  exactly.  You  have  a  badly 
sprained  ankle  with  rupture  of  some  of  the  liga 
ments  ;  to-morrow,  when  the  swelling  has  gone 
down,  I  can  tell  better." 

"  Oh,  thank  you  very  much,  Doctor,  but  we  won't 
bother  you  to  come  again.  All  I  have  to  do  is  to 
keep  quiet,  use  the  lotion,  and  not  use  the  foot, 
you  say." 

"Yes,  that's  about  all,  but  I  had  better  see  you 
again  in  the  morning.  I  will  come  in  directly  after 
breakfast.  We  don't  leave  until  noon." 

After  the  doctor  had  left  the  stateroom,  Marga 
ret  said  to  Katherine : 

"  Isn't  he  charming,  so  gentle  and  encouraging? 
I  like  him  immensely." 

"  He  seems  to  know  what  he  is  about,  and  he  is 
very  gentlemanly.  You  rather  liked  to  have  him 
bang  your  foot  about,  didn't  you  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  mind  it  much,  but  he  seemed  so  inter 
ested,  and  to  know  just  how  to  handle  a  sprained 
ankle.  Will  you  get  the  applications  ready,  I  mean, 
tell  John  to?" 

"  Yes,  dear,"  and  off  she  went.  As  she  passed 
through  the  saloon,  the  doctor  was  just  taking  his 
leave  after  promising  to  call  in  the  morning. 

"  Nice  fellow,  that,"  said  Van. 


146  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"Yes,"  said  Jack,  "  seems  to  know  his  business." 

"  Well,"  said  Katherine,  as  she  passed  through, 
"  he  has  made  the  deepest  kind  of  impression  on 
Margaret  ;  do  you  believe  in  love  at  first  sight, 
Billie?" 

"  I  can't  see  what  you  see  to  like  in  that  popin 
jay,"  answered  that  young  man.  "  He  thinks  he 
knows  it  all,  and  you  sit  around  and  just  hang  on 
his  words.  I  think  he  is  a  Philadelphia  cad." 

"  How  can  you  use  such  language,  William  ? " 
said  Sister  Anne ;  "  the  man  was  exceedingly  polite 
to  all  of  us,  and  we  ought  to  be  grateful." 

Billie  was  allowed  to  talk  to  Margaret  through 
the  door,  and  apologised  very  humbly  for  what  he 
considered  his  own  particular  fault. 

"Oh,  I  shall  be  all  right  in  a  few  days,"  came 
back  to  him  through  the  panels.  "  The  doctor  is 
coming  again  in  the  morning." 

"  Darn  the  doctor,"  thought  Billie  ;  "  here  he  can 
come  when  he  pleases,  go  to  her  bedroom,  feel  of 
her  ankle,  look  wise  and  all  that,  and  I,  who  know 
her  a  hundred  times  better  than  he,  have  to  stand 
and  talk  through  the  door.  Darn  the  doctors,  any 
way,"  and  Billie  took  another  drink  and  went  dis 
consolately  to  bed.  On  the  morning  following, 
Doctor  Van  Rennsalaer,  as  he  had  promised,  came 
again,  and,  after  being  closeted  with  Katherine  and 
Margaret  for  a  half-hour,  during  which  time  Billie 
heard  peals  of  laughter  issuing  from  the  sick  room, 
he  bade  them  good-bye,  after  giving  out  the  bulletin 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.          147 

that  the  patient  was  doing  as  well  as  could  be  ex 
pected.  When  Billie  heard  the  hilarity  in  Room 
No.  5,  he  fejt  that  he  could  stand  it  no  longer,  so 
he  jumped  into  the  felucca,  rowed  fiercely  for  the 
opposite  shore,  and  plunged  into  the  river  for  a 
swim.  He  rather  hoped  that  a  crocodile  or  some 
thing  would  drag  him  under.  He  wondered,  if 
such  a  thing  happened,  whether  she  would  miss 
him. 

"  Bah,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  women  are  no  good, 
anyhow,"  and  so  he  dressed  and  rowed  back  to  the 
boat.  The  Ammon-Ra  and  Columbia  cast  off  at 
about  the  same  time,  and  they  had  a  pretty  race  for 
a  little  ;  but  the  Haswell  boat  was  much  the  better, 
and  soon  distanced  her  competitor,  much  to  Billie's 
relief,  who  was  fervently  hoping  the  Columbia 
would  run  on  a  sand-bar  and  stay  there.  Suddenly 
the  wind  died  down  and  the  boat  began  to  drift 
back  with  the  current,  but  the  old  reis  ordered  the 
whole  crew  ashore  to  track,  and  over  they  tumbled. 
A  long  hawser  was  fastened  to  the  mast  and  carried 
ashore,  where  each  boatman  had  his  individual  loop, 
which  he  quickly  attached  to  the  main  cable,  and 
slipping  the  noose  over  the  shoulders,  the  whole 
eleven  started  along  the  tow  path.  It  was  slow 
work,  but  better  than  lying  still  or  drifting  back, 
and  it  gave  the  party  a  sense  of  oriental  do  Ice  far 
niente  to  loll  back  on  the  divans,  while  the  boatmen 
slowly  tramped  along  far  ahead,  chanting  some 
wild  song  as  they  went.  So  they  progressed  until 


148  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

evening.  Toward  the  Lybian  Desert  the  sun  was 
slowly  sinking  like  a  great  orange-coloured  ball  of 
fire.  The  scattered  cloudlets  had  taken  on  the 
reflected  glory  of  the  setting  sun  and  were  in  a 
dozen  shades  of  prismatic  colouring — brilliant  ver 
milion  shading  into  delicate  pinks  and  deep  purples, 
and  to  the  greys  and  blacks  of  approaching  twilight. 
A  single  star  glimmered  faintly  now,  but  with  ever- 
increasing  brilliancy,  through  the  fronds  of  the  great 
palm  above  the  dark  bank.  The  tree,  with  the  slow, 
ceaseless  movement  of  its  branches,  and  the  stars' 
light  coming  and  going,  seemed  like  some  living 
monster,  some  grotesque  form  from  a  bygone  age, 
blinking  sleepily  down  on  the  dahabeah,  and  sigh 
ing  at  the  new  civilisation  which  enabled  a  thing  so 
modern  to  be  there.  A  camel,  with  slow  and  super 
cilious  mien,  tramped  by.  His  ghost-like  master, 
like  the  uncouth  beast,  vouchsafed  but  a  glance  and 
passed  on.  Sharply  silhouetted  against  the  evening 
sky,  they  seemed  strange  and  uncanny  and  as  if  they 
had  stepped  out  of  a  century  long  gone  by.  No 
thing  has  been  changed  among  this  strange  people 
since  the  reign  of  the  Rameses  and  the  Ptolemies. 
The  dress,  habits,  customs,  beast  and  boats,  are  all 
as  they  were  before  the  dawn  of  the  Christian  era. 
On  the  surface  of  the  broad  river,  it  is  true,  one  sees 
an  occasional  tourist  or  mail  steamer,  and  the  sail 
ing  dahabeah  is  not  quite  the  same  as  the  silk-cano 
pied,  slave-manned  craft,  in  which  the  love-sick 
queen  floated  down  in  the  arms  of  her  favourite 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  149 

Antony.  But  even  the  Ammon-Ra  was  weird  in 
her  make-up.  The  long,  pointed  boom,  balanced 
on  the  foremast  and  standing  always  at  an  angle, 
appeared  to  pierce  both  the  heavens  above  and  the 
water  below.  The  boatmen  were  now  furling  the 
sail,  and  the  Arab,  way  up  at  the  point,  seemed 
among  the  clouds  and  was  scarcely  discernible, 
while  the  others,  ten  in  number,  all  embracing  the 
boom  and  hauling  in  and  housing  the  sail  at  short 
intervals  along  the  stick,  were  merely  small  silhou 
ettes  against  the  darkening  sky. 

The  stillness  was  solemn  ;  but  there  were  sounds 
to  break  it.  From  the  neighbouring  village  came 
occasionally  the  cries  of  children,  softened  by  the 
distance,  and  ever  and  anon,  the  mournful  braying 
of  the  ubiquitous  donkey.  The  moon  began  to 
silver  the  landscape,  and  powder  the  plains  with 
snow.  A  flock  of  honking  geese  crossed  behind, 
and  though  the  blaze  from  the  gun,  which  was 
always  kept  on  deck,  scattered  their  horizontal  bat 
talions  harmlessly,  the  phalanx  was  quickly 
reformed.  And  now  the  quiet  of  the  scene  was 
broken  by  the  Arab  crew,  who,  having  finished 
their  frugal  meal  of  black  bread  and  meat  stewed 
together  in  a  large  earthen-ware  vessel,  squatted 
contentedly  around,  while  two  of  their  number,  pro 
vided  with  primitive  instruments,  strummed  out  a 
monotonous  tune,  while  the  others  chanted  a  song 
or  prayer  attuned  to  three  or  four  notes,  sounding 
like  nothing  ever  heard  elsewhere. 


150  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

After  an  hour  of  music,  the  little  drum  notes 
sank  away  into  the  sighing  breeze.  This  evening 
the  Ammon-Ra  tied  up  at  Keneh,  and  after  dinner  a 
walk  was  proposed.  Four  of  the  party  started  out, 
Miss  Brown  and  Katherine,  Van  Beuren  and  Bal- 
ford.  The  moon  was  at  its  full.  The  air  had  lost 
the  heat  of  the  day  and  a  gentle  breeze  made  it  a 
perfect  night  for  a  stroll  along  the  path. 

They  had  walked  a  half-mile  or  more,  when  it 
was  proposed  to  turn.  On  the  way  back  Balford 
found  himself  walking  with  Katherine,  while  Van 
was  some  distance  ahead  helping  Sister  Anne  across 
the  numerous  shadoof  ditches  which  intersected 
their  path  at  short  intervals. 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Balford,  my  shoe  has  come  untied," 
exclaimed  Katherine,  as  they  were  passing  a  grove 
of  tall  date  palms,  one  of  which  had  fallen  close  to 
the  bank,  "would  you  mind  tying  it?" 

"  Certainly  not.    Is  that  right  ?  "  answered  Balford. 

"  Yes,  thank  you  ;  let  us  sit  here  for  a  few 
moments.  Isn't  it  heavenly?" 

Ernest  seated  himself  and  they  were  looking  out 
over  the  broad  swathe  of  dancing,  rippling  silver 
which  pointed  from  the  full  moon  to  them.  Er 
nest  felt  the  lightest  touch  of  a  warm  hand  on  his, 
and  then  it  rested  there  for  a  moment  before  it 
closed  tightly  on  his.  Balford  started  to  rise,  but 
Katherine  raised  his  hand  to  her  lips. 

Balford,  suddenly  overcome,  put  his  arm  about 
her  waist  and  drew  her  to  him.  Katherine's  head 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  151 

sank  on  his  shoulder,  and  he  kissed  her  mouth,  her 
cheek,  her  hair  and  whispered  words  of  passionate 
tenderness. 

Then,  with  a  groan,  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and, 
clenching  his  hands  till  the  nails  marked  the  flesh, 
he  said  in  quivering  voice  : 

"  Mrs.  Oswald,  are  you  ready  to  return  to  the 
boat  ?  I  shall  have  some  letters  from  Keneh  in  the 
morning,  which  will  call  me  back  to  America,  and  I 
shall  take  the  postal  boat  to  Cairo." 

Katherine  did  not  reply.  She  followed  along  the 
path  in  silence  and  soon  they  were  again  opposite 
the  Ammon-Ra.  One  of  the  Nubian  boatmen 
came  up  the  bank  with  a  lantern  to  meet  them, 
and  they  went  on  board.  Van  stood  at  the  head  of 
the  stairs  and  called  out  : 

"  Well,  where  have  you  two  been  ?  We  were 
beginning  to  get  anxious,  and  were  about  to  send 
out  search  parties  for  you." 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  called  Margaret,  who  had  been 
carried  up  for  the  first  time,  and  lay  on  one  of  the 
divans,  "  we  thought  you  had  met  with  some 
such  adventure  as  Arthur  Livingston  and  Belle 
Hamlyn." 

"  No,"  answered  Katherine  quickly,  "  Mr.  Bal- 
ford  lost  his  way  for  a  few  moments,  but  then  we 
got  back  into  the  narrow  path." 

"  Selim  tells  me  we  shall  get  our  mail  by  the 
post  boat  early  in  the  morning.  Won't  that  be 
fine  ?  "  said  Margaret  to  Katherine. 


152  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"  Yes,  indeed ;  I  hope    we    shall    all    have   good 
news." 

They  were  on  deck ;  Hasvvell  and  Jack  were 
engrossed  in  a  game  of  backgammon,  while  Billie 
was  trying  to  strum  out  some  music  on  the  guitar, 
but  in  reality  furtively  watching  Margaret,  who 
was  in  the  highest  spirits  over  her  emancipation 
from  the  stuffy  cabin.  Sister  Anne  was  working 
over  her  embroidery,  and  though  Balford  insisted 
that  he  must  go  below  and  write  some  letters,  they 
all  insisted  so  strongly  that  he  should  not,  he 
finally  stayed.  Then  the  lights  were  put  out  and  the 
hangings  raised,  and  in  the  bright,  still  moonlight, 
the  party  sang  some  of  the  dear  old  home  songs. 
But  two  of  the  party  were  far  from  happy.  Balford 
was  thoroughly  out  of  spirits.  A  burning  sense  of 
shame  and  disloyalty  was  upon  him.  He  could  see 
no  honourable  course  for  him  but  to  leave  the 
party.  It  would  be  a  bitter  disappointment,  most 
bitter,  but  he  could  not  stay.  He  did  not  know 
whether  his  friend's  wife  loved  him  or  not.  He 
did  not  care,  but  he  felt  himself  but  human,  and  he 
loved  Jack.  He  would  go,  give  up  the  pleasant  com 
panionship  of  his  oldest  friends,  give  up  the  wonders 
of  the  upper  Nile,  of  which  he  had  dreamed  as  a  boy, 
but  had  never  expected  to  see.  He  would  doubt 
less  receive  some  mail  in  the  morning,  and  could 
make  the  proper  and  plausible  excuses. 

As  for  Katherine,  her  feelings  were  a  mixture  of 
shame,  wounded  pride  and  anger.     She  it  was  who 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  153 

had  made  the  advances,  and  they  had  been  repulsed. 
Ever  since  that  night  on  theAttsa,  she  had  believed 
the  opportunity  would  come  when  she  might  bring 
Balford  to  her  feet.  And  to-night  she  had  almost 
won  him.  It  was  heartless  coquetry  in  the  begin 
ning,  but,  in  her  great  desire  to  humble  him,  she  had 
unconsciously  fallen  into  her  own  trap.  She  had 
come  nearer  loving  Balford  than  ever  she  had  come 
to  loving  any  man.  And  Jie,  now  that  he  knew  her 
secret  and  felt  his  power  over  her,  had  said  that  he 
would  leave  her.  No,  he  must  not  do  that !  She 
must  have  a  word  with  him,  even  if  she  were  forced 
to  the  point  of  asking  forgiveness — forgiveness  for 
what  ?  How  her  nature  recoiled  from  this. 

"When  shall  we  reach  Luxor,  Charlie  ?"  asked 
Jack  of  Haswell. 

"  Day  after  to-morrow,  with  favourable  winds, 
Selim  tells  me." 

"  I  havfc  read  so  much  about  Luxor,  Karnak  and 
Thebes,  that  it  doesn't  seem  as  though  we  would 
ever  really  get  there." 

"  I  hope  you  have  crammed  up  about  Rameses  and 
Queen  Hatasoo.  Selim  is  an  Egyptologist  of  no 
mean  acquirements,  and  will,  if  wanted,  explain 
every  stone  in  the  place." 

"  I  shall  be  content  on  this  trip  with  a  mere 
smattering  of  knowledge.  I  want  to  read  it  all  up 
afterwards,  and  then  come  again  some  time," 
answered  Jack. 

On  the  following  morning,  toward  daybreak,  the 


154  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

postal  boat  from  Cairo  overtook  them.  Ernest  had 
not  slept  well,  and  when  he  heard  the  hurrying  to 
and  fro  on  deck  and  the  whistle  of  the  steamer, 
he  arose  and  hurriedly  dressed,  and  was  on  deck 
just  as  Selim  returned  in  the  felucca  with  the  little 
white-sealed  mail  bag  marked  A>nmon-Rat  containing 
a  generous  mail.  Balford  sat  about,  had  a  cup  of  cof 
fee  and  a  smoke,  and  waited  for  the  others  to  appear. 
Nervous  and  excited  as  he  was,  yet  he  had  deter 
mined  upon  leaving  the  party,  and,  before  the  others 
had  appeared,  had  asked  Selim  about  the  mail 
boats  going  down  the  river.  Selim  told  him  that 
the  post  boat  down  would  pass  them  about  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

At  breakfast,  after  the  entire  party  were  together, 
Ernest  told  of  having  received  a  letter  from  his 
lawyer,  the  contents  of  which  meant  a  great  deal  to 
him,  and,  he  added,  his  lawyer  thought  he  should 
come  back  at  once,  to  try  to  save  a  few  dollars  from 
the  wreck  of  a  concern  in  which  he  had  large  inter, 
ests.  They  were  all  astounded  and  refused  to 
listen  to  his  going ;  but  he  fabricated  so  plausible  a 
necessity,  that  argument  was  out  of  the  question, 
and  at  last  it  was  arranged  that  he  should  be  trans 
ferred  with  his  luggage  to  the  postal  boat,  which 
was  due  to  pass  them  some  time  during  the  after 
noon. 

"  Can't  you  manage  to  get  back  to  us,  Ernest," 
said  Haswell,  "  in  time  to  cruise  for  awhile  in  the 
Mediterranean  ?  " 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  155 

"  I  don't  know,  old  man  ;  you  see,  I  am  quite  in 
the  dark  myself  in  this  matter." 

"  How  unfortunate  it  is,  Mr.  Balford  ;  it  will  spoil 
the  rest  of  our  trip,"  cried  Margaret  impulsively. 

"  You  are  very  kind  to  say  so,  but  I  should  be 
sorry  to  feel  that  such  is  the  case.  You  must  all 
take  copious  notes  and  pictures,  and  when  you  come 
back  I  can  enjoy  it  all  by  proxy,  as  it  were." 

While  Balford  was  speaking,  Katharine  sat  silent. 
Two  bright  red  spots  were  on  her  cheeks,  and  now 
and  then  she  raised  her  eyes  to  look  across  at  him. 
No  one  but  Jack,  at  the  time,  noticed  that  she  took 
no  part  in  urging  Ernest  to  stay.  She  was  very 
unhappy,  but  it  is  a  question  whether  regret  or 
chagrin  was  the  emotion  uppermost  in  her  mind. 

A  kind  of  pall  fell  over  the  party  that  morning. 
They  were,  without  exception,  genuinely  sorry  to 
lose  their  friend,  and  it  seemed  as  though  this  might 
be  a  bad  augury.  Balford  was  so  suave  and  cour 
teous  always,  and  so  handsome  withal,  that  the  gap 
left  in  the  little  household  would  be  keenly  felt. 
When  at  last,  toward  the  end  of  luncheon,  the  shrill 
whistle  of  the  little  stern-wheel  postal  boat  was 
heard,  it  was  with  almost  a  feeling  of  relief  that  the 
party  gathered  about  Balford  for  farewells. 

She  had  been  signalled  by  the  Ammon-Ra  and 
soon  had  made  a  long  sweep  and  turned  her  nose  up 
stream. 

"  God  bless  you,  old  fellow  ;  lots  of  kind  messages 
to  every  one  at  home." 


156  AN   ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"  Good-bye.  I  hope  you  will  all  have  a  delightful 
time  and  come  back  safely,"  and  with  many  wav- 
ings  of  handkerchiefs  and  a  few  moist  eyes,  Balford 
faded  away  in  the  distance,  bound  for  he  knew  not 
where,  and  but  little  dreaming  that  he  should  never 
again  see  one  face  of  the  merry  party  waving  to 
him  from  the  deck. 

They  had  delayed  so  long  at  and  near  Keneh  that 
late  in  the  afternoon  they  made  out  the  Columbia 
far  astern.  She  seemed  to  be  bringing  wind  to 
them,  for  both  her  sails  were  set  and  drawing  well, 
while  the  Ammon-Ra  was  only  just  stemming  the 
tide. 

"  Oh,  give  me  the  glasses,"  cried  Margaret.  "  Yes, 
that  must  be  the  dear  Columbia.  I  can  see  the  flag  ; 
I  wonder  if  they  will  catch  up  with  us." 

"  Oh,  yes,  my  lady,  we  will  tie  up  together  to 
night,"  said  Selim,  who  had  come  up  to  call  atten 
tion  to  the  boat. 

"  Dr.  Van  Rennsalaer  will  be  pleased  with  the 
way  my  foot  is  doing.  See,  Billie,  I  can  rest  my 
whole  weight  on  it  without  the  crutch  at  all." 

"  Yes,  and  it  would  have  been  just  as  well  if  the 
Philadelphia!!  hadn't  touched  it." 

"  No,  those  hot  applications  he  advised  and  the 
massage  he  gave  it,  did  it  lots  of  good,  I'm  sure," 
answered  Margaret  mischievously. 

"  That's  a  matter  of  opinion,"  said  Billie. 

"  Well,  it's  my  foot,  and  I  know  he  helped  it." 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  157 

"Yes,  and  that's  your  hand,  and  that  doctor  will 
have  that,  too,  if  you  don't  look  out." 

"  I  fancy  I  am  able  to  take  care  of  myself,  Mr. 
Brown." 

They  had  tied  up  and  were  waiting  for  dinner 
time  when  the  Columbia  hove  in  sight  around  the 
point,  and  was  soon  fast  against  the  bank  about 
fifty  yards  behind  the  A  mmon-Ra.  She  had  scarcely 
stopped  when  Carter  and  Van  Rennsalaer  jumped 
ashore  and  came  over  to  call.  Margaret  had  an 
ticipated  the  visit,  and  as  an  interesting  invalid  lay 
on  the  sofa  on  deck.  She  looked  very  fetching  in 
her  light  blue  tea  gown,  held  in  at  the  waist  by  a 
broad  belt  of  silver  coins.  An  Italian  rug  was 
thrown  lightly  over  her  feet,  and  her  blonde,  fluffy 
hair,  which  would  not  keep  confined,  and  her  pink 
and  white  face  were  set  in  a  very  pretty  picture. 

"  How  do  you  do,  Miss  Jones?  How  are  you, 
Mr.  Haswell  and  Miss  Brown?  How  is  my  patient 
doing?" 

"Splendidly,  thank  you;  I  can  almost  walk  on 
the  foot." 

"We  were  just  sending  Selim  over  with  an  invita 
tion  to  all  of  you  to  dine  with  us,"  said  Haswell. 

"  You  are  very  kind,  but  it  would  be  like  the 
plague  of  locusts  if  we  all  came,"  said  Mr.  Carter, 
l<  and  besides,  poor  White  is  laid  up  with  a  kind  of 
intermittent  fever." 

"  Oh,  I  am  sorry  ;  nothing  serious,  I  hope." 

"  No ;  he   went   out  to   shoot  pigeons  the  other 


158  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

day  and  stood  in  the  fields  for  two  hours  under  the 
broiling  sun.  That  evening  he  had  a  high  fever 
and  it  has  clung  to  him  ever  since,  but  he  is  better 
to-day,"  answered  Dr.  Van  Rennsalaer. 

"  Well,  will  you  two  come,  then  ?  "asked  Margaret. 

"  Certainly,  delighted." 

"  Mr.  Van  Beuren  and  Mr.  Balford  are  well,  I 
hope." 

"  Why,  you  know,  poor  Balford  has  been  called 
suddenly  home — left  this  afternoon  by  the  postal 
boat  for  Cairo." 

"You  don't  mean  it !     How  you  must  miss  him." 

"Yes,  we  shall.  Mr.  Van  Beuren  and  the  Os 
walds  are  with  us,  of  course.  Oh,  Jack!  Van  !  here 
are  some  old  friends.  Come  up,"  called  Haswell, 
through  the  half-opened  ventilator  over  the  saloon. 

"  Will  you  take  a  peg,  gentlemen  ?  The  ladies  have 
had  their  tea.  John,  bring  some  whiskey-soda. 
John  always  understands  this,  you  know,  but  if  I 
said  to  him,  '  Bring  some  whiskey  and  soda,'  the 
Lord  knows  what  would  appear." 

After  taking  their  refreshments  the  visitors  re 
turned  to  their  own  boat  to  dress. 

"  It  will  be  nice  to  have  them  to-night,"  said 
Jack,  "  we  shall  miss  poor  old  Ernest  so  much." 

At  seven  o'clock  they  sat  down  to  dinner.  John 
and  AH  served  the  meal,  while  Selim  kept  a  general 
superintendence  and  opened  the  wine. 

"Have  you  killed  a  sheep  yet?"  asked  Haswell 
of  Mr.  Carter. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  159 

"  Why,  no  ;  what  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"The  old  custom,  which  has  prevailed  for  many, 
many  years,  has  been  to  kill  a  sheep  for  the  crew 
at  certain  stages  of  the  journey  up  and  down  the 
river.  You  will  hear  of  it  at  Luxor  ;  they  all  expect 
it.  It  need  not  necessarily  be  a  sheep,  but  you 
give  so  much  money,  and  the  crew  buy  a  sheep  or 
a  calf  and  slaughter  it,  and  it  is  eaten  for  days,  even 
the  bones  themselves  being  utilized." 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  Mahmoud  said  something 
about  this  the  other  day,  but  I  didn't  understand 
him,  nor  pay  any  particular  attention  to  it ;  don't 
you  remember,  Van  Rennsalaer?" 

"  No  ;  I  have  heard  nothing  about  it,  but  I  can 
imagine  the  poor  fellows  would  need  something  be 
sides  that  rock-like  black  bread  they  stew  up  three 
times  a  day.  How  many  have  you,  Mr.  Haswell, 
in  your  crew  ?  " 

"  Seventeen  all  told — eleven  before  the  mast,  as 
it  were,  and  the  other  six  are  the  pilot  or  reis,  the 
steersman,  four  connected  with  the  kitchen,  dining- 
room  and  laundry,  then  our  dragoman,  Selim." 

"Our  boat  is  smaller,  I  think.  We  have  only 
twelve,  but  even  so  there  are  plenty  of  mouths  to 
feed." 

"  How  deliciously  you  cook  your  quail.  I  can't 
get  our  people  to  do  it  right.  They  cook  them  to 
death." 

"  That's  the  great  trouble,"  said  Margaret ;  "  we 
only  discovered  the  other  day  that  they  are  dark 


160  AN   ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

meated  and  should  be  treated  accordingly ;  this  is 
the  result." 

"  Have  you  tried  shooting  them  yet  ? "  asked 
Jack. 

"  No,  we  are  not  very  ardent  sportsmen.  White 
has  a  gun  with  him,  but  further  than  a  few  ducks 
and  pigeons,  we  have  had  no  game  of  our  own  get 
ting.  Have  you  tried  them  at  all?  " 

"  Yes,  Van  Beuren  and  I  have  been  out  a  few 
times.  It  is  so  different  from  our  methods  of  hunt 
ing  them  at  home  that  it  is  rather  interesting. 
You  have  a  line  of  about  twenty  beaters  and  they 
flush  the  birds  by  walking  them  up.  They  are 
little  chaps  and  not  hard  to  hit,  but  excellent  eat 
ing,  as  you  see." 

"  It's  fun  to  try  anything  new,"  remarked  Billie. 

"  That  is  a  blase  remark  from  one  so  young," 
said  Margaret  with  a  twinkle  in  her  eyes. 

"  From  the  look  of  your  deck  there  must  be 
musical  talent  on  board,"  remarked  the  Doctor. 

"  No  talent,  Doctor,  but  we  all  do  chorus  parts. 
Mr.  Brown  also  tells  us  in  song  about  the  Bowery 
and  other  swell  places  in  New  York,"  answered 
{Catherine. 

"  Yes,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  my  brother's  taste  in 
song  is  not  as  elevated  as  it  might  be,"  added 
Sister  Anne. 

Billie  had  said  almost  nothing  during  the  meal. 
He  had  thought  of  drowning  his  sorrows  in  drink, 
when  he  first  heard  that  the  Doctor  was  to  come 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  161 

to  dinner,  but,  when  assured  by  Margaret  that  this 
was  the  only  way  they  could  pay  him  for  his  pro 
fessional  visits,  he  was  somewhat  mollified,  so  after 
the  meal  was  finished  and  they  had  all  adjourned 
to  the  deck,  they  had  some  jolly  songs  to  both  guitar 
and  piano,  and  Billie  sang  some  of  his  specialties  in 
a  very  creditable  manner.  When  the  moon  began 
to  tip  the  distant  hills,  all  was  quiet  on  the  Am- 
mon-Ra  save  the  rhythmical  breathing  of  the  brown- 
wrapped  mummies  on  the  lower  deck  and  the 
sighing  of  the  breeze  as  it  swished  through  the 
rigging. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

TOWARD  evening  on  the  following  day  they 
came  in  sight  of  Luxor  and  Karnak.  As  they 
neared  the  town,  they  were  delighted  to  see  their 
country's  flag  floating  from  the  top  of  a  square 
white  building  standing  high  over  the  river  bank, 
and,  as  they  came  opposite,  two  guns  rang  out  on 
the  evening  air. 

"  What  is  that,  Selim  ?  " 

"  They  are  saluting  your  boat,  sir.  That  is  the 
American  Consul's  house." 

"  Do  you  remember  his  name?" 

"  No,  sir.  He  is  an  Egyptian  appointed  by  the 
American  Consul  at  Cairo.  You  will  see  quite  a 
little  of  him  while  you  are  in  Luxor,  I  think." 

"  Well,  we'll  give  him  two  guns,  anyway,"  and 
Van  Beuren  slipped  in  a  couple  of  cartridges  and 
fired  into  the  air. 

As  they  approached  the  bank  beneath  the  town, 
for  there  are  no  landing  places  on  the  Nile,  they 
observed  a  number  of  dahabeahs,  and  all  along,  in 
groups  of  from  five  to  fifteen,  squatted  the  different 
varieties  of  natives.  Donkey  boys,  in  blue  gowns, 
with  their  patient  animals  back  of  them,  whose 
noses  were  checked  back  to  touch  their  throats,  in 
the  effort  to  make  them  look  attractive,  Shikaris, 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  163 

ready  to  tempt  the  lover  of  shooting  into  the  sugar 
cane  for  jackals,  or  the  lentil  fields  for  quail,  sellers 
of  turkeys  and  fowl,  their  birds  tied  foot  to  foot,  or 
allowed  to  wander  about  under  guard,  then  the 
curio  seller  in  various  manifestations,  all  in  blue  or 
black  gowns  with  snowy  turban  or  white  capote. 

The  Ammon-Ra  found  a  berth  well  up  above  the 
town,  and  beyond  the  other  boats.  Every  one  stops 
at  Luxor  for  a  week  at  least  on  the  way  up  and 
about  the  same  time  on  the  way  down  the  river. 
As  they  drifted  into  their  position,  they  noticed 
the  handsome  dahabeah  Kinct-et-Nil,  two  boats 
below  them. 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Haswell,  isn't  that  the  boat  belonging 
to  the  young  Englishmen  you  introduced  to  us  in 
Cairo?"  asked  Margaret. 

"  Annersley  and  Villiers,  you  mean  ?  Yes,  that  is, 
they  were  guests,  as  I  understood  it,  of  Sir  Some 
thing  or  other." 

"  When  the  Columbia  comes  we  shall  know  quite 
a  number  of  people,  won't  we  ?  "  said  Katherine. 

"As  I  remember  it,  Luxor  was  always  the  place 
of  greatest  gaiety  on  the  river,  probably  because 
every  one  stops  here  long  enough  to  get  acquainted, 
and  there  are  enough  Europeans  to  get  up  balls 
and  races  and  so  on.  Then,  too,  they  always  illumi 
nate  the  boats  at  this  place,  have  fireworks  and  all 
that,  you  know,"  said  Haswell. 

"  How  jolly  it  must  be,"  said  Sister  Anne.  "  I 
wonder  if  they  have  churches  here." 


164  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"Yes,  indeed,  they  do,  an  English  church,  a 
Roman  Catholic  one,  a  hospital  and  all." 

"  I  am  so  anxious  to  see  Thebes  and  the  tombs 
of  the  Kings,"  said  Sister  Anne  ;  "  they  must  be  the 
grandest  relics  on  earth." 

"  Let  me  see,"  said  Jack  ;  "  there  is  Karnak  to  sec 
—funny,  I  never  heard  of  Karnak  until  I  came  to 
Egypt — and  Luxor  on  this  side,  with  Thebes,  and 
all  its  temples  and  the  tombs  of  the  Kings,  on  the 
other.  Isn't  that  all,  Charles?  " 

"  Yes,  I  think  so.  It's  ten  years  since  my  last 
visit." 

After  dinner,  Haswell  and  Van  Beuren  strolled 
up  to  the  Luxor  Hotel  and  Gardens.  The  air  was 
heavy  with  the  fragrance  of  the  yellow  acacia  trees, 
and  the  moon  shone  down  through  the  feathery 
fronds  of  the  mimosa  with  a  dimmed  radiance. 

"  By  Jove,  Van,  isn't  she  a  beauty  ?  "  exclaimed 
Haswell,  as  two  ladies,  walking  slowly,  passed 
them. 

4<  She  is  a  stunner,  but  a  kind  of  ethereal  beauty  ; 
who  does  she  remind  me  of?  " 

"  The  Lord  knows ;  but  she  has  a  most  attractive 
face Why,  hello  !  Villiers,  how  are  you  ?  " 

"  How  are  you,  Haswell,  and  Mr.  —  -  beg  pardon, 
but  I  have  forgotten  your  name  ?  " 

"  Van  Beuren." 

"  Ah,  yes,  thank  you.  It  was  a  slight  acquaint 
ance,  you  know — only  met  you  once,  I  believe. 
When  did  you  come  ?  " 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  165 

"  Just  arrived  and  were  taking  a  stroll  up  to  the 
hotel,"  answered  Van.  "  Won't  you  join  us?" 

"  Sorry,  old  chap,  but  we  are  with  the  ladies." 

"  Oh,  all  right,  but  tell  me,  who  is  that  stunning 
young  woman  with  the  older  one?  " 

"  Oh,  that's  Lady  Wiltshire's  companion  ;  odd 
thing  about  her,  quite  a  history,  can't  stop  now- 
come  and  see  us,  we  shall  be  here  two  or  three 
days  longer." 

So  they  parted,  and  Haswell  and  Van  went  into 
the  quaint,  rambling  hotel,  looked  at  the  list  of 
guests,  and  started  back  again  for  the  Ammon-Ra. 

"  By  Jove,  old  man,  that  face  bothers  me.  Who 
in  the  devil  does  she  resemble  so  much  ?  It  makes 
me  feel  creepy.  I  have  certainly  seen  her  before." 

So  they  strolled  leisurely  down  and  joined  the 
others.  They  told  of  meeting  Annersley  and  Vil- 
liers,  but  nothing  was  said  of  the  young  woman. 

Selim  had  engaged  donkeys  for  the  following 
day,  when  the  whole  party  were  to  start  for  Karnak, 
that  marvellous  ruin,  the  most  stupendous  in  the 
world !  They  spent  three  or  four  hours  there. 
They  needed  no  local  guide.  Selim  was  a  guide 
book  in  himself.  When  they  returned  to  the  boat 
for  luncheon,  Van  looked  up  a  number  of  data  in 
his  Baedeker  and  Rawlinson,  in  order  to  substan 
tiate  or  disprove  some  of  Selim's  statements,  but  he 
found  the  dragoman  exact  in  everything,  dates, 
hieroglyphics  and  all,  and  from  then  on  they  took 
his  word  without  question. 


166  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

In  the  afternoon  they  went  to  the  temple  of 
Luxor,  close  to  the  water  and  still  half  buried  in  the 
ruins  of  the  old  Roman  dwellings,  which  cover  and 
partially  protect  a  hundred  temples  in  Egypt. 

Just  before  dinner,  the  young  English  curate 
called,  in  company  with  Mr.  Slocum,  the  engineer 
of  the  railroad  which  was  slowly  extending  its  lines 
toward  Luxor  and  Assouan.  They  brought  invita 
tions,  in  the  shape  of  tickets,  for  the  ball  at  the 
hotel,  and  for  the  native  races  near  the  village,  three 
days  later.  The  money  obtained  in  this  way  was 
to  be  devoted,  so  the  curate  informed  them,  to  the 
uses  of  the  recently  established  hospital.  They 
took  a  number  of  tickets  and  promised  to  be  pres 
ent,  at  least  at  the  races,  which  were  to  be  of  a 
unique  character,  camel  races,  buffalo  races,  donkey 
races  and  bishareen  hurdle  races. 

"  What  a  social  centre  Luxor  seems  to  be,"  said 
Katherineat  dinner;  "  balls  and  races  and  all  that." 

"Well,  you  see,  with  this  comfortable  hotel  a 
good  many  invalids  come  and  spend  the  whole 
winter  here.  The  climate  is  much  more  salubrious 
than  that  of  Cairo,"  answered  Haswell. 

The  day  following,  the  party  started  for  Thebes. 
They  left  the  dahabeah  at  nine  o'clock  and  crossed 
to  the  opposite  side  in  their  own  boat.  The  don 
keys,  with  AH  and  their  lunch,  went  in  separate 
boats.  Arrived  on  the  other  side,  they  found  the 
water  so  shoal  that  the  boatmen  had  to  carry  them 
ashore.  Miss  Brown  refused,  at  first,  to  be  a  party 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  167 

to  so  undignified  a  procedure,  but  finding  that  it 
was  the  only  means  of  landing,  she  was  forced  to 
yield  and  was  grabbed  up  by  two  brawny  Nubians 
and  carried  to  the  sand  bar,  amidst  peals  of  laughter 
from  her  comrades  and  frantic  cries  from  herself. 
Her  fear  of  falling  into  the  water  caused  her  to 
embrace  her  sable  carriers  hysterically,  one  of  whom 
had  a  severe  fit  of  coughing  after  landing  his  charge, 
as  the  result  of  her  efforts  at  self-preservation. 

Everything  was  soon  forgotten,  however,  as  they 
galloped  along  over  the  sands  and  up  to  the  higher 
ground,  where  suddenly  the  wonderful  Colossi  of 
Memnon  came  into  view.  How  quiet  and  dignified 
they  looked  sitting  bolt  upright,  with  their  palms 
flat  on  their  knees !  The  party  verged  off  to  the 
right  and  visited  the  great  Ramesium. 

At  one  o'clock  they  found  themselves  in  the  holy 
of  holies  in  the  Medinet  Abou,  that  great  temple 
and  residence  of  the  greatest  of  the  Rameses.  AH 
had  spread  two  large  rugs,  and  had  arranged  seats  for 
the  whole  party  with  stones  fallen  from  the  temple 
wall.  It  seemed  so  strange  to  them  to  be  lunching 
a  rAmericain  beneath  the  hieroglyphs  and  bas 
reliefs  carved  in  the  stone  five  thousand  years  ago ! 
To  stop  and  think,  how  it  must  have  looked  in 
those  distant  years,  was  to  conjure  up  fairy-land, 
but,  as  Haswell  observed,  it  was  better  to  see  it  to 
day,  for  they,  of  five  thousand  years  ago,  were  a 
cruel,  inhuman  lot.  There  were  but  two  classes, 
the  King  with  his  satellites,  and  the  people  who 


1 68  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

were  slaves,  and  these  two  were  separated  by  an 
immeasurable  gulf. 

After  luncheon,  they  wandered  about  the  ruins, 
and  finally  decided  to  return  to  the  boat.  Margaret 
was  not  with  them  to-day,  but  she  expected  to  go 
on  all  their  future  expeditions. 

Billie  had  offered  to  stop  on  the  boat  with  her  for 
company,  but  she  had  declined  his  offer,  saying  that 
she  would  not  have  him  miss  seeing  the  temples  for 
anything. 

The  party  had  not  been  gone  long,  however, 
before  a  caller  was  announced,  and  Dr.  Van  Renn- 
salaer  appeared. 

"Why,  Miss  Jones,  how  do  you  do?  I  rather  ex 
pected  to  find  you  out  with  the  rest." 

"  And  is  that  why  you  called?"  asked  Margaret 
saucily. 

"  No,  I  am  a  wicked  prevaricator,  but  I'll  tell  the 
truth  now.  I  watched  your  boats  going  off,  and, 
not  seeing  you  with  the  rest,  I  concluded  that  you 
had  remained  behind,  and  so  I  came  over." 

"  Well,  that's  better  ;  but  why  are  you  not  sight 
seeing  to-day  yourself?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  unless  it  was  that  I  preferred 
coming  to  see  you." 

"Why,  you  are  making  up  for  your  first  remark, 
and  with  compound  interest.  Where  did  your  party 
go,  and  how  is  your  patient,  Mr.  White  ?  " 

"  Every  one  on  the  boat,  including  White,  went 
to  Karnak  to-day." 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.          169 

"  Have  you  seen  Egypt  before,  Dr.  Van  Renn- 
salaer?  " 

"No,  and  I  am  immensely  interested." 

"  Well,  why  under  the  sun  didn't  you  go  to  see 
ruins  to-day,  instead  of  coming  to  a  little  wreck 
like  me?  " 

"  Why,  I  don't  know.  I  wanted  to  see  how  your 
foot  was  coming  on." 

"  Are  you  always  so  conscientious  about  your 
patients,  Doctor?  " 

"  No,  that  is,  yes,  but  your  injury  was  so  peculiar, 
that  I  became  deeply  interested,  you  know." 

"  Oh,  look,  there  comes  another  dahabeah ;  what 
a  lot  of  them  there  are  here  now." 

Doctor  Van,  as  they  had  begun  to  call  him,  was 
already  deeply  in  love  with  his  little  patient,  and 
the  slightest  encouragement  at  this  time  would  have 
precipitated  matters  at  once.  With  a  woman's 
perception  Margaret  had  seen  this,  but,  knowing 
that  it  would  probably  be  but  a  fleeting  feeling  on 
his  part,  and  feeling  sure  she  had  no  response  to  it, 
sought  to  spare  the  young  man  any  humiliation. 
Therefore  she  skilfully  changed  the  conversation 
and  summoned  John  with  cool  drinks  and  refresh 
ments.  The  interlude  brought  the  young  man 
back  to  mundane  things,  and  shortly  afterward 
he  took  his  leave.  Shortly  after  three  o'clock  Mar 
garet  heard  the  boatmen  singing  as  they  rowed, 
and,  looking  over  the  side,  of  the  Ammon-Ra,  she 
saw  the  party  returning. 


i;o  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"  Well,  you  missed  it  this  time,  Margaret,"  called 
Billie,  as  they  came  up  to  the  side. 

"  Oh,  I  have  had  a  very  nice  time  myself,  and 
not  alone  either,"  answered  Margaret. 

"  Why,  have  you  had  visitors  ?  "  asked  Van  Beu- 
ren. 

"Yes,  or  no  rather,  not  visitors,  but  a  visitor  and 
a  very  nice  fellow,  too." 

"Van  Rennsalaer,  I'll  bet,"  said  Billie  to  himself. 

"  Who  was  your  caller,  the  curate  ? "  asked 
Katherine. 

"  No,  the  cure  aches,"  quickly  answered  the 
young  lady. 

"  Well  done,  Margaret !  I  see  it !  Van  Renn 
salaer!  But  look  here,  was  it  a  tryst?  This  is 
getting  serious.  You  don't  want  to  go  to  Phila 
delphia  to  live,  do  you  ?  "  said  Haswell. 

"  I  don't  know  ;  New  York  is  rather  gay  for  me." 

"And  a  doctor's  wife,  too  !  " 

"  What  was  the  matter  with  him  ;  why  didn't  he 
go  to  explore  ruins  to-day  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  I  am  sure,  but  he  spent  most  of 
the  morning  here,  that  I  can  vouch  for." 

All  the  rest  of  the  party  went  to  their  rooms  to 
get  the  dust  from  their  faces  and  clothes  but  Billie 
lingered  behind. 

"Margaret,  do  you  like  Van  Rennsalaer? "  he 
asked  in  an  anxious  tone. 

"  Why,  yes,  I  like  him  very  much,  don't  you  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't ;  I  don't  know  why,  but  I  can't  stand 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  171 

him.  You  don't  like  him  very  much,  do  you  ?  "  and 
Billie  sat  down  in  a  chair  near  Margaret's  head. 

"  Well,  that  depends  on  what  you  call  very  much," 
replied  Margaret,  blushing  in  spite  of  herself. 

"  Well,  I  mean — you — you — don't  love  him." 

"  Why,  you  foolish  child,  no,  of  course  not ;  I  have 
only  known  him  a  little  while." 

"  Oh !  " 

"You  must  know  lots  about  a  man  before  you 
love  him." 

"  Margaret,  I  hate  to  bother  you,  but  I  am — I  feel 
that  I  must  have  a  serious  talk  with  you — for  I  like 
you  very  much — Don't  you  see?  I  have  fallen  in 
love  with  you,  dear,  and,  if  it  sends  me  home  to 
morrow,  I  must  tell  you  now,  for  I  am  so  unhappy. 
Just  tell  me  to  shut  up,  you  know,  and  I  will  under 
stand.  I  am  half  crazy,  anyhow,  but  I  am  fearfully 
in  love,  and — what !  " 

Margaret  had  flushed  to  her  hair  at  the  very  first 
words  and  was  sure  that  she  wanted  to  cry.  She 
reached  out  her  hand  and  took  Billie's  in  hers,  and 
then  she  buried  her  head  in  the  pillow  and  began 
to  cry  in  earnest.  Billie  was  frightened.  He  had 
never  seen  a  woman  cry  before.  lie  leaned  forward 
and  kissed  her  lightly  on  the  temple,  and  then  fled 
precipitately,  not  knowing  whether  he  had  been  ac 
cepted  or  rejected.  Margaret  recovered  herself  in  a 
few  moments,  and,  in  turn,  wondered  whether  she 
was  engaged  or  not.  She  rather  thought  she  was. 
She  had  grown  to  be  very  fond  of  the  merry,  care- 


i;2          AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

less,  pugnacious  boy.  He  was  far  from  the  ideal 
she  had  pictured  to  her  girlish  fancy  a  few  years 
before,  but  she  had  long  ago  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  perfect  man  existed  only  in  the  story 
books,  and  that  Billie  was  one  with  as  few  faults  as 
the  average,  and  was  good  enough  for  her,  anyhow. 
Their  ages  were  nearly  the  same.  Neither  had  been 
seriously  in  love  before  and  she  felt  that  she  loved 
him  dearly. 

They  did  not  meet  again  until  dinner,  each  striv 
ing  hard  to  hide  their  embarrassment,  and  feeling 
that,  at  the  first  opportunity,  the  subject  would  be 
brought  up  again  and  settled.  At  the  meal  there 
was  none  of  the  usual  charring  between  them,  an 
occurrence  so  unusual  that  Jack  observed: 

"  I  think  this  is  the  first  meal  that  we  have  sat 
down  to  since  we  started  in  which  you  and  Billie 
haven't  had  at  least  one  or  two  quarrels,  Margaret. 
For  my  part,  I  miss  it ;  it  is  like  serving  lettuce 
with  no  dressing.  Arc  you  pining  for  dear  old 
Balford,  or  thinking  of  the  good-looking  Medico?" 

"  I  don't  know,  but  I  may  be  both,  longing  for 
the  touch  of  a  vanished  hand  and  the  sound  of  a 
voice  that  is  still  sailing  toward  Cairo." 

"The  hand,  then,  referring  to  the  Doctor's  mas 
sage,  nest  cepasl"  laughed  Jack. 

"  As  for  you,  Sweet  William,  you  looked  just 
now  as  though  cruel  Fate  had  taken  away  your 
last  friend,"  said  Van. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  173 

"  Well,  I  wish  you  would  change  the  subject,  it's 
too  personal,"  said  Billie  testily. 

"  Why,  William,  that  does  not  sound  like  you; 
you  are  generally  quite  amiable,"  said  Sister  Anne. 

"  To-morrow's  Sunday,  who's  going  to  church?  " 
said  Haswell,  wishing  to  relieve  the  evident  embar 
rassment  of  Billie  ;  "  and  remember  that  in  this 
country  no  one  can  say,  'Yes,  if  it  don't  storm.'" 

"  I  shall  go,"  said  Katherine.  "  When  does 
church  begin  ?  " 

"  Ten-thirty  ;  suppose  we  have  breakfast  at  nine." 

"All  right." 

On  the  following  morning  Katherine  and  Jack 
started  for  the  Gardens  of  the  Luxor  Hotel,  in 
which  the  little  English  church  is  located.  The  re 
lations  between  these  two,  while  decidedly  strained, 
were  still  friendly  enough  in  the  presence  of  others. 
Jack  suspected  the  cause  of  Balford's  sudden  de 
parture,  but,  knowing  nothing  with  any  certainty, 
he  said  nothing,  nor  would  he  in  any  event,  for  he 
had  long  since  come  to  the  conclusion  that  his  wife 
did  not  love  him,  and  he  suffered  in  silence,  and 
rarely  entered  into  the  conversation  or  the  jollity  of 
the  others.  His  unhappiness  was  eating  his  life 
away. 

They  walked  up  the  avenue  of  acacias  toward 
the  hotel.  It  was  a  lovely  tropical  day.  The  air 
was  laden  with  the  heavy  perfume  of  the  yellow 
flowers,  and  the  birds  on  every  side  were  sounding 
out  their  notes,  in  very  gladness  to  be  alive.  The 


174  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

cry  of  the  pretty  crested  hoopoe,  the  dreamy  note 
of  the  wood  pigeon  and  the  hoarser  cawing  of  the 
crows  all  formed  a  sleepy  monotone.  They  crossed 
by  the  corner  of  the  hotel  to  the  extensive  gardens 
in  the  rear.  The  superb  Bougainvillea,  climbing  to 
the  very  tops  of  the  palms,  hung  down  in  graceful 
festoons,  covered  with  gorgeous  flowers,  and  form 
ing  many  a  bower  for  the  rustic  seats  beneath 
them.  Roses  were  there  in  profusion,  the  great 
American  Beauty,  the  Gloire  de  Paris,  and  about 
and  above  them  the  gentle  rustle  of  the  waving 
palm  fronds,  spoke  of  rest  and  peace. 

As  they  turned  into  the  main  path  leading  to  the 
chapel,  the  little  bell  was  tolling  out  the  summons 
to  prayer.  A  lady  dressed  in  black  was  sitting, 
half  screened  by  the  foliage,  on  one  side  of  the 
path.  She  seemed  to  be  reading,  and,  as  they 
came  quite  close,  she  lifted  her  face  from  her 
book. 

"  Merciful  God  !  Clare  !  "  was  the  smothered 
ejaculation  from  Oswald,  as  he  staggered  and 
stopped. 

His  wife  turned  to  see  what  had  caused  him  to 
halt.  His  face  frightened  her.  It  was  colourless, 
and  his  eyes  were  staring  and  fixed.  He  groped 
for  support. 

"  Oswald  !  Jack,  what  is  the  matter  ?  "  and  she 
followed  his  fixed  eyeballs  to  the  beautiful  face 
looking  up  at  them  in  mild  surprise. 

"  Nothing — that  is — my  heart — something  trouble* 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  175 

me,"  and  he  would  have  fallen  but  for  the  support 
of  a  strong  arm  from  behind. 

"Excuse  me,  Madame,  is  your  husband  ill?" 
came  a  hearty  voice.  "  Allow  me  to  help  you  to  the 
hotel,"  and  Jack  permitted  himself  to  be  led  away 
—with  occasional  frightened  glances  backward  and 
an  effort  to  clear  his  eyes.  He  entered  the  house 
and  the  kindly  Englishman  insisted  on  his  taking  a 
little  brandy  and  water. 

He  had  soon  pulled  himself  together,  but  desired 
to  be  left  alone.  So  they  placed  him  on  a  sofa,  and 
all  left  him.  Katherine  went  over  to  the  little 
church  for  a  few  moments.  As  soon  as  they  had 
left  him,  Jack  sprang  to  his  feet  and  began  to  pace 
the  small  room. 

"Clare!  alive  and  here!  My  God!  Can  it  be? 
Can  I  be  wrong  ?  It  is  Clare.  She  does  not  know 
me  or  else  she  has  heard  of  this  marriage  and  scorns 
me.  I  must  see  her.  I  must  tell  her  of  all  this 
horrid  mistake.  How  can  it  be  Clare?  She  was 
drowned  on  that  fearful  night!  They  saw  the  boat 
capsize.  Oh,  God  be  merciful,"  and  with  a  groan 
of  unutterable  anguish  he  sank  to  the  sofa,  only  to 
rise  from  it  again,  as  he  gasped  : 

"  Clare's  eyes,  her  mouth,  it  must  be  she  ;  I,  her 
husband,  should  know  ;  I  will  go  and  ask  her,  I  will 
tell  her,"  and  as  he  staggered,  half  crazed,  toward 
the  door,  it  opened  and  the  kindly  Englishman 
stood  there,  rotund  and  rubicund,  with  the  lady  in 
black  at  his  side.  With  a  bound  Jack  was  at  her 


176          AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

side,  his  hand  upon  hers,  as  he  plead  with  her  in 
heart-rending  tones. 

"  Clare,  my  darling,  my  wife,  speak  to  me,  speak 
to  Jack,  your  husband,  who  loves  you." 

"Here,  here,  young  man,  calm  yourself;  what 
does  all  this  mean?"  and  the  bluff  Englishman, 
with  serious  face,  took  Jack  firmly  by  the  shoulders 
and  forced  him  back. 

"  Miss  Grant,  do  you  know  this  man  ?  " 

"  No,  Sir  John,  I  have  never  seen  him  before." 

Jack  started  back  at  the  voice — her  voice,  too. 
He  gazed  at  her  for  a  moment  in  dumb  surprise, 
then,  as  the  door  closed  upon  them,  he  gave  himself 
up  to  hopeless  despair. 

A  few  moments  later,  Katherine  came  to  him, 
and,  after  asking  if  he  felt  better,  they  left  the 
house  and  walked  back  toward  the  Amtnon-Ra. 

Jack  was  dazed,  stupefied.  He  wondered  if  he 
could  be  in  his  right  mind.  Could  this  be  an  hallu 
cination  ?  No,  he  was  there,  walking  with  Kathe 
rine  down  the  acacia-lined  alley.  He  felt  the  hard 
ground  under  his  feet.  He  heard  the  birds.  It 
was  himself.  There  could  be  no  doubt  on  that 
point.  Who  was  she,  then  ?  Clare — Clare,  his 
heart  told  him — Yet  she  denied  him  and  she  was 
called  Miss  Grant. 

Katherine  spoke  not  a  word.  She  knew  that 
some  unexpected  meeting  had  taken  place,  but 
she  had  noticed  in  an  instant  that  the  recognition 
was  on  one  side  only.  The  woman  had  simply  a  puz- 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  177 

zled,  surprised  look,  but  Jack's  face  she  could  never 
forget.  She  would  say  nothing,  she  decided,  but 
would  wait  for  some  explanation  from  him. 

Jack  went  directly  to  his  room.  He  had  deter 
mined  on  one  thing.  He  would  go  to  the  hotel  as 
soon  as  he  could.  He  would  look  up  this  English 
man  and  find  out  about  Miss  Grant.  He  must  do 
so.  He  could  not  rest,  and  if  by  some  miracle  it 
should  be  Clare ! — "  Oh,  God,  give  me  strength," 
he  prayed. 

On  the  following  morning,  after  a  sleepless  night, 
he  made  an  excuse  of  illness  and  allowed  the  others 
to  make  a  second  visit  to  Thebes.  As  soon  as  they 
were  gone,  he  started  for  the  hotel.  As  he  passed 
up  and  along  the  bank,  he  noticed  that  one  of  the 
dahabeahs  had  left,  and  in  a  moment  he  knew  that 
she  was  gone.  The  Kinet-el-Nil  was  no  longer  in 
her  previous  position.  Anxious  beyond  words,  he 
asked  a  passing  dragoman  what  had  become  of  the 
boat. 

"  She  has  gone  up  the  river  in  this  morning  early 
to  Assouan." 

"  Thank  God,"  he  murmured. 

He  felt  the  greatest  relief  at  this,  as  now  he  could 
see  her  again.  He  determined  to  proceed  to  the 
hotel  and  find  the  curate,  or  some  one,  who  could 
tell  him  something  of  the  party.  He  must  talk  to 
some  one  who  knew  the  Wiltshires  and  find  out 
the  history  of  Miss  Grant. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

MONDAY  night  had  been  selected  for  the  illumi 
nation  of  the  Ammon-Ra.  All  the  morning  the 
boatmen  were  busy  carrying  great  bundles  of  fresh 
sugar-cane  and  palm  fronds  on  board,  and  had  tied 
them  gracefully  along  the  sides  and  deck  of  the 
boat. 

Osier  crates,  filled  with  many  coloured  lanterns, 
were  brought  up  from  the  space  under  the  deck, 
and  these  were  strung  along  the  sides,  in  three  rows, 
and  up  the  mast  and  great,  pointed  boom.  The 
colours  alternated  red,  white  and  blue,  and,  at  the 
extreme  point  of  the  boom,  was  a  deftly  made 
cluster,  looking,  when  lit,  like  pendulous  drops  of 
light. 

When  the  party  returned  from  Thebes  that  after 
noon,  everything  was  ready  for  the  evening's  dis 
play,  and  the  boat  looked  like  a  floating  bower. 

Selim  had  arranged  to  have  her  pulled  out  and 
up  the  river  for  a  half  mile  or  more,  and  then  to 
float  back  with  the  tide  past  the  town.  This  was 
done  while  they  were  at  dinner,  and  immediately 
afterward  they  all  stepped  into  the  large  felucca  and 
were  rowed  off  some  fifty  yards,  and  then  floated 
down  with  the  boat. 

"  Isn't  it  like  a  dream  of  fairy  land?"  exclaimed 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  179 

Margaret ;  "  the  water  is  like  a  mirror,  and  see,  there 
is  the  moon  just  coming  up  over  the  hills." 

"  It  is  the  most  beautiful  sight  I  have  ever  wit 
nessed,"  said  Sister  Anne  enthusiastically. 

Just  then  the  crew  began  to  chant  a  weird  Nu 
bian  boat  song,  which  added  to  the  fascination  of 
the  scene.  None  of  them  felt  like  conversation. 
Billie  and  Margaret  sat  beside  each  other,  and,  as 
the  boat  glided  silently  down  the  stream,  Billie 
slipped  Margaret's  hand  into  his  own,  and  she  left 
it  there.  It  gave  her  a  little  sense  of  protection,  a 
feeling  that  she  was  not  so  far  from  home  after  all. 

"Look,"  said  Haswell  in  a  subdued  voice,  and  in 
the  direction  he  pointed  they  could  see  the  sombre 
and  majestic  columns  of  the  Luxor  temple  on  the 
river's  bank.  Grim  and  silent  sentinels  of  the  ages, 
they  stood,  as  they  have  stood,  for  thousands  of 
years.  It  was  an  awe-inspiring  sight.  Soon  rock 
ets  and  Roman  candles  began  to  be  set  off  from  the 
Ammon-Ra.  As  this  had  been  agreed  upon  as  the 
signal  for  them  to  return,  they  were  rowed  back. 
As  the  great  boat  came  nearer  to  shore,  she  passed 
the  other  dahabeahs  against  the  bank,  and  Mr.  Car 
ter  called  out  to  them  from  the  Columbia  : 

"  That  was  the  most  weird,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
beautiful  display  I  have  ever  seen." 

"  Indeed  it  was,"  added  the  Doctor  ;  "  we  looked 
for  Cleopatra  under  the  palm  canopy." 

"  Won't  you  all  come  over  and  have  a  little  re 
freshment?"  asked  Carter. 


1 8o  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"  Thanks,  perhaps  some  of  us  will  walk  down." 

Soon  they  reached  their  position  again,  and  four 
of  them,  guided  by  one  of  the  boatmen,  with  a 
large  lantern,  walked  down  the  path.  They  were 
welcomed  by  the  party  of  the  Columbia  and  re 
paired  to  the  upper  deck. 

"Couldn't  your  husband  come  down,  Mrs.  Os 
wald  ?  " 

"  No,  he  has  not  been  feeling  well  lately,  and  does 
not  go  out  at  night." 

"  Have  you  made  many  acquaintances  coming  up 
the  river?" 

"  No,  very  few ;  I  think  that  you  of  the  Columbia 
and  two  Englishmen  on  the  Kinet-el-Nil  are  the 
only  ones." 

"  Oh,  did  you  meet  that  party  ?  " 

"  Only  the  two  men ;  they  are  old  friends  of  Mr. 
Haswell,  and  he  introduced  them  in  Cairo." 

"  The  Doctor  and  I  are  much  interested  in  that 
party.  You  know  they  lay  right  behind  us,  and 
just  as  we  were  about  to  see  something  of  them, 
they  pulled  up  stakes  and  left." 

"  What  a  pity,"  said  Margaret.  "  Was  it  the  beau 
tiful  companion  who  excited  your  curiosity?" 

"Yes,  Miss  Jones,  it  was.  Will,  here,  saw  her 
once,  and  has  been  trying  in  every  way  to  get  ac 
quainted,  and  only  yesterday  he  had  a  chance  and 
met  the  men." 

"  How  was  that  ?  " 

"  We  were  over  at  Karnak,  and  so  was  this  Wilt- 


AN   ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  181 

shire  party.  It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  and  they 
had  no  guide  or  dragoman.  As  it  was  Sunday,  I 
suppose  they  hud  just  gone  out  for  a  walk,  but, 
at  any  rate,  they  got  lost  and  had  to  enquire  of  us 
how  to  get  back.  In  this  way  we  became  acquainted 
with  the  men,  who  were  walking,  and  when  later  we 
parted  at  the  gate  of  the  Luxor  hotel,  they  asked  us 
to  call  on  them.  Then  when  we  woke  this  morning, 
presto,  the  ship  had  passed  in  the  night,  and  Mr.  Car 
ter  is  broken  hearted." 

"And  you  didn't  meet  the  ladies?"  asked  Billie. 

"  No,  we  got  nothing  but  a  '  Good-evening,'  as 
they  passed." 

"Well,  now  that  you  have  gone  so  far,  tell  the 
rest,"  said  Carter. 

"  There  is  not  much  left  to  tell,  except  that,  later 
in  the  evening,  we  met  the  men  at  the  hotel  and 
had  a  drink  with  them,  and  discovered  that  the 
beautiful  companion  is  an  American,  with  a  charm 
ing  voice,  and  with  some  dark  mysterious  history. 
Of  course,  this  wove  a  veil  of  romance  about  the 
lady,  and  has  increased  Mr.  Carter's  interest  ten 
fold." 

"  How  exciting,"  said  Katherine. 

"We  shall  all  be  anxious  to  meet  them  up  the 
river,"  said  Haswell ;  "what  you  have  said 
interests  me  also,  for  I  passed  this  same  lady  in  the 
Luxor  Gardens  one  evening,  and  I  have  been  per 
plexed  ever  since  in  trying  to  think  where  I  hav< 
seen  her  before.  Strong  resemblances  are  common 


1 82  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

enough,  but  in  this  case,  I  have  a  feeling  that  I 
have  met  her  or  beea  in  the  same  place  with  her 
for  some  time." 

"  Are  you  going  to  the  races  to-morrow  ?  "  asked 
Billie. 

"  Yes,  if  White  is  well  enough ;  he  has  had 
another  set  back,  and  has  some  fever  again." 

Billie  had  been  very  generous  to-night.  He  had 
yielded  Margaret  to  the  doctor  at  once,  and  the 
latter  had  taken  her  aft  to  see  how  they  kept  their 
live  stock.  They  had  been  absent  for  ten  minutes 
or  more,  when  a  commotion  was  heard,  then 
groans,  and  presumably  Arabic  imprecations,  fol 
lowed  by  peals  of  merry  laughter,  and  Margaret 
and  the  doctor  re-appeared. 

"  Oh,  dear,  you  should  have  been  there,  the  poor 
old  fellow  !  He  will  have  indigestion  for  a  month. 
I  believe  you  were  trying  to  make  business  for 
yourself,  Doctor." 

"  What's  it  all  about  ?  "  asked  Carter. 

"  Why,  the  doctor  wanted  to  show  me  your 
turkeys  and  things,  and  as  we  came  down  from  that 
tank,  or  whatever  it  is,  the  doctor  stepped  or 
jumped  to  help  me,  but  what  he  took  for  a  sack  of 
potatoes  or  a  bench,  was  the  poor  old  pilot  asleep. 
The  doctor  thought  the  deck  was  moving  off,  or 
some  old  Egyptian  God  was  after  him,  I  think,  and 
in  the  midst  of  the  confusion,  poor  Mr.  White  put 
his  head  out  of  the  window  just  below  and  wanted 
to  know  what,  in  the  name  of  Rameses,  the  row 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  183 

was  about.  I  think  those  were  his  words,  were 
they  not,  Doctor?"  and  Margaret  and  the  whole 
party  went  off  again  into  peals  of  laughter. 

"  I  didn't  see  anything  so  hilariously  funny  about 
it,"  said  Dr.  Van  Rennsalaer;  "the  old  fellow  got 
hold  of  my  leg  and  I  thought  he  would  draw  his 
knife.  You  can't  tell  what  these  people  will  do 
when  aroused." 

"  Yes,  he  certainly  was  aroused,"  said  Haswell ; 
"  he  was  probably  dreaming  of  home  and  the  little 
ones  at  the  time." 

"  Yes,  of  how  they  would  climb  up  to  get  the 
first  kiss,  as  papa  entered  the  door,  and  then  came 
the  rude  awakening.  I  wonder  where  his  nearest 
family  resides,"  said  Billie. 

"  William,  I  am  shocked,"  said  HaswelL 

"  Well,  it's  a  fact ;  Selim  told  me  that  these  boat 
men  have  families  all  along  the  river,  respectable, 
well-behaved  families." 

"The  old  fellow  thought  the  whole  outfit  was 
descending  upon  him,  avalanche  style,"  said 
Carter. 

As  they  walked  back  toward  the  Ammon-Ra, 
they  heard  strains  of  music  proceeding  from  their 
own  deck. 

"  What  in  the  dickens  is  going  on?  "  asked  Billie. 

"  Holy  smoke !  look  at  the  dancing  girls,  the 
Gewase  dance,  as  I  am  breathing,  and — what ! 
Sister  Anne  aiding  and  abetting." 

Sure  enough,  they  could  see  from  the  bank  two 


184          AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

dusky  dancers,  all  bedecked  with  spangles  and  tin 
sel  and  doing  their  best  in  gyrations  and  poses,  to 
the  music  of  two  native  performers.  In  front  of 
them,  as  spectators,  sat  Miss  Brown,  Jack  and  Van, 
with  Selim  as  master  of  ceremonies.  Sister  Anne 
was  evidently  ill  at  ease,  and,  immediately  the 
others  reached  the  deck,  she  exclaimed  : 

"  Oh,  Margaret,  Selim  has  got  these  women  to  do 
their  religious  dances.  Isn't  it  interesting?" 

There  was  a  quick  interchange  of  glances 
between  the  men,  and  Billie  was  seized  with  a  bad 
coughing  fit.  They  all  sat  down  to  look  on.  The 
women  redoubled  their  contortions,  and  after  a  few 
moments  Sister  Anne  went  below,  in  order  that 
she  might,  while  her  impressions  were  still  fresh, 
write  a  full  account  of  the  novel  sight  to  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Everett,  to  be  incorporated  perhaps  into  his 
new  book,  "The  Various  Forms  of  Religion  as  I 
Have  Seen  Them." 

"  Is  that  really  a  religious  dance  ?  "  asked  Mar 
garet  of  Katherine,  when  they,  too,  had  gone  down 
to  the  cabin. 

"  My  dear,  it  is,  as  I  understand  it,  the  dance 
that  every  one  sees  up  the  Nile,  but  in  our  country 
and  everywhere,  except  in  the  Orient,  it  is  consid 
ered  quite  immoral,"  answered  Katherine. 

"Oh,  how  frightful." 

"  It  seems  most  vulgar  to  us,  but  it  is  one  of  the 
things  to  see,  and  almost  everybody  docs  see  it 
once." 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  185 

"  Do  you  suppose  that  Sister  Anne  will  really 
write  to  Mr.  Everett  about  it  ?  " 

"Very  likely,  but  it  will  never  be  quoted  in  his 
book." 

The  afternoon  following  they  all  took  donkeys 
and  started  for  the  races.  These  were  to  be  held 
on  the  large  plain  a  mile  east  of  the  town.  On  their 
way  they  passed  many  natives,  leading  camels  or 
driving  buffalo  ahead  of  them.  Few  horses  were 
seen.  Arrived  at  the  grounds  they  found  their 
seats  on  the  primitive  grand  stand.  Crowds  of 
Arabs,  Bishareens  from  the  Soudan,  Nubian  boat 
men,  and  nondescript  Greeks,  with  a  sprinkling  of 
Europeans,  surrounded  the  lower  end  of  the  course. 
The  races  consisted  of  flat  races  for  donkeys,  ridden 
by  natives,  the  same  with  camels  and  buffalo, 
wrestling  on  donkey  back  by  boys,  Bishareen  hurdle 
and  sack  races,  and  so  on. 

Billie  had  brought  his  camera  and  stood  out  in 
front  to  catch  some  pictures.  The  clerks  of  the 
course  were  the  Curate  and  the  Engineer  of  the 
railroad.  It  was  interesting  to  watch  the  natives  of 
high  and  low  degree  making  their  books,  and  the 
little  boys  laying  hard-earned  perquisites  on  their 
favourites. 

"  Truly  the  spirit  of  gambling  is  inherent  in  the 
human  race,"  remarked  Haswell  to  Miss  Brown. 

"Yes,"  said  Jack,  "it  is  fair  to  suppose  that  the 
serpent,  in  the  Garden  of  Eden,  had  a  bet  on  the 
result  of  his  little  apple  trick." 


186  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"  I  have  such  a  horror  of  gambling,  though," 
answered  Sister  Anne. 

"  Well,  it's  hard  to  say  where  gambling  begins, 
Miss  Brown.  For  instance,  I  heard  you,  not  long 
since,  making  a  bet  of  six  pairs  of  gloves  that  you 
were  right  in  a  quotation.  Now  that  was  equiva 
lent  to  betting  six  dollars  against  six  that  your 
opinion  was  the  right  one.  Apply  the  same  bet  to 
a  donkey  race,  and  you  might  call  it  gambling.  It 
seems  to  be  merely  a  matter  of  degree,"  said  Van 
Beuren. 

"  No,  gambling  is  when  one  bets  on  cards  or 
horse  racing,"  answered  Sister  Anne. 

"  How  about  the  football  game,  or  the  yacht 
race  ?  "asked  Billie. 

"  Don't  let  us  discuss  the  subject  further,"  said 
his  sister  ;  "  go  and  take  some  more  pictures." 

"  They're  off,"  cried  some  one,  and  way  up  the 
course  they  could  see  a  cloud  of  dust,  and  soon  six 
unwieldy-looking  objects  lumbered  down  towards 
them.  It  was  the  camel  race,  and  the  long  undulat 
ing  gallop  of  the  beasts,  with  their  turbaned  and 
excited  riders,  belabouring  the  creatures  merci 
lessly  as  they  came  on,  was  a  novel  and  interesting 
sight. 

Three  of  the  contestants  seemed  to  be  neck 
and  neck,  when  suddenly,  one  camel  becoming 
fractious,  veered  off  sharply  toward  the  stand. 
There  was  a  cry  of  caution  and  considerable  con 
fusion,  as  the  women  tried  to  escape.  The  crea- 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  187 

ture  ran  obliquely  from  his  course  and  struck  one 
of  the  uprights  of  the  stand.  Luckily,  in  falling, 
the  angry  beast  tripped  and  fell  sidewise,  but  was 
immediately  seized  and  held  by  a  number  of  Arabs, 
not,  however,  before  he  had  inflicted  an  ugly  bite 
on  the  shoulder  of  one  of  them,  and  had  knocked 
the  breath  out  of  another  with  his  broad,  flat  feet. 

This  incident,  though  devoid  of  serious  results, 
made  the  ladies  nervous,  and  they  decided  to  wit 
ness  the  next  two  races,  which  were  scheduled  as 
the  Bishareen  hurdle  and  flat  races,  and  then  return 
to  the  boat. 

"Aren't  they  peculiar-looking  creatures,  Marga 
ret  ?  "  said  Katherine,  as  a  half-dozen  men,  with  dust- 
coloured  sheets  as  clothes  and  enormous  shocks  of 
hair,  walked  past. 

"  Those  are  Bishareen  Arabs,  Mrs.  Oswald.  Don't 
you  remember  the  '  fuzzy  wuzzy  '  of  Rudyard  Kip 
ling  ?  Those  are  types." 

"  Oh,  yes,  but  are  they  not  straight  and  symmetri 
cal  and  they  have  thin  lips  and  fine  features.  Where 
do  they  live,  Mr.  Haswell?" 

"  In  the  Soudan ;  they  look  exactly  like  the 
desert,  don't  they  ?  " 

"  They  remind  me  a  great  deal  of  our  Indians, 
except  for  the  hair,"  said  Margaret. 

There  were  four  five-foot  hurdles  erected  at  inter 
vals,  and  six  tall  young  fellows  essayed  to  contest. 
They  only  knew  that  there  were  some  English 
shillings,  or  Egyptian  piastres,  at  the  last  hurdle 


1 88  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

for  the  first  one  to  get  there,  and,  as  they  started, 
they  looked  in  the  distance  like  some  queer  two- 
footed  beasts. 

"  How  beautifully  they  jump,"  said  Mr.  Carter, 
who  had  just  joined  them. 

"  I  hope  Mr.  Brown  can  get  some  good  pictures." 

"  He  has  had  excellent  results  so  far,"  said  Jack. 

"  Look,  look,  that  tall  one  must  have  been  hold 
ing  back  ;  I  noticed  him  almost  the  last,  and  now  he 
leads  them  all,"  cried  Margaret. 

"  Bravo,  the  tall  one  has  won  ;  he  must  have  been 
coached." 

"  They  don't  wear  any  more  clothes  in  track 
athletics  than  we  do,  do  they  ?  "  said  Billie.  "  Then, 
too,  I  watched  them  as  they  took  each  hurdle,  and 
the  position  in  clearing  them  was  exactly  the  same 
as  at  our  intercollegiate  games." 

"Well,  when  you  analyse  it,  why  shouldn't  they 
know  as  well,  or  better  than  we,  how  to  save  every 
ounce  of  strength  and  use  it  to  the  best  purpose. 
They  are,  compared  to  us,  what  the  lynx  is  to  the 
domestic  cat  or  the  wolf  to  the  dog.  They  proba 
bly  depend  somewhat  on  their  natural  gifts, 
muscular  and  mental,  for  their  livelihood." 

"  I  think  there  is  a  good  deal  in  what  you  say, 
Van,"  added  Jack. 

"  Well,  what  do  you  say,  ladies,  to  our  starting 
back?  The  buffalo  race  is  next  on  the  programme, 
and,  although  I  don't  apprehend  any  such  accident  as 
the  camel  affair,  yet  you  all  expressed  a  wish  to  go." 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  189 

"  I  am  ready,"  answered  Margaret. 

"  Let  us  all  go  ;  we've  seen  the  most  interesting 
part  already." 

They  made  their  way  to  the  entrance  and,  mount 
ing  their  donkeys,  were  soon  jogging  back  to  the  town. 

The  sun  was  shining  down  in  its  afternoon  splen 
dour.  In  front  of  them,  as  they  moved  along,  lay 
the  squalid  little  town.  They  could  see  the  obelisk 
of  Luxor  temple  in  the  distance.  Between  them 
and  it  were  the  waving  palms,  with  their  ceaseless, 
sleepy  movement,  the  spider-web  mimosa,  and  the 
odds  and  ends  of  a  faded  grandeur,  here  a  goat-headed 
sphinx  with  body  and  legs  all  gone,  there  a  hiero 
glyph-covered  slab  half-buried  in  the  sand,  and  all 
round  were  mud  walls  enclosing  a  mud  hovel,  about 
which,  children,  goats,  chickens  and  donkeys 
gambolled,  slept,  ate  and  lived  in  one  heterogeneous 
combination.  What  a  contrast  to  the  Egypt  of  old, 
the  Egypt  centre  of  the  world,  the  Egypt  with  its 
million  upon  millions  of  inhabitants  ! 

It  makes  one  wonder  whether,  within  the  next 
few  thousand  years,  civilisation,  and  all  it  implies, 
will,  still  travelling  westward,  come  around  again  to 
this  cradle  of  the  nations,  and  then  what ! 

That  night  the  ball  at  the  Luxor  Hotel  took 
place. 

"  Think  of  it,"  said  Margaret,  "  a  fancy  dress 
ball  at  Luxor." 

Mr.  Carter  and  Doctor  Van  called  for  them  and 
they  all  walked  up  to  the  hotel.  Although  none  of 


190  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

them  were  in  costume,  they  found  the  ball  full  of 
all  kinds  of  possibilities  for  pleasure.  In  the  quad 
rille,  in  which  the  Doctor  and  Margaret  found 
themselves,  were  Cleopatra  and  a  donkey  boy,  a 
Syce  and  a  Pasha. 

Billie  was  introduced  to  a  young  French  girl  who 
was  dressed  as  a  fellaheen  woman.  He  discovered 
at  once  that  she  spoke  little  or  no  English.  Here 
was  a  rare  opportunity  to  air  his  limited  knowledge 
of  French.  "  Bon  Soir  "  was  easy  enough,  but  when 
she  replied  :  "  Bon  Soir  ;  vous  $tes  etranger  h  Luxor, 
nest  ct  pas  ?"  \\.  was  different.  Billie  thought  for 
an  instant  and  then  answered,  "  Our,"  thinking  this 
would  be  safe  but  inwardly  praying  that  his  partner 
would  dance  and  say  no  more.  He  saw,  too  late, 
that  he  had  gotten  himself  into  trouble  with  his 
foolish  "Bon  Soir"  After  a  moment  of  embarrass 
ing  silence  his  partner  said  in  an  injured  voice: 

"  Cest  dommage  de  perdre  cctte  valse  ?  " 

Billie  was  floored  !  He  looked  helplessly  about 
him,  and  then  the  happy  thought  came  that  he  had 
said  "  Oui  "  the  last  time  and  that  variety  was  called 
for.  So  putting  on  his  best  Parisian  accent,  he 
boldly  said  :"  Non"  His  partner  looked  at  him 
with  wondering  eyes,  and  a  moment  later  the  floor 
manager  brought  up  a  new  comer  and  Billie,  hot 
and  embarrassed,  clumsily  withdrew. 

Katherine  did  not  dance,  and  for  most  of  the  even 
ing  Mr.  Carter  was  her  cavalier,  the  curate  and  engi 
neer  filling  in  occasional  gaps.  Jack  pleaded  fatigue 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.          191 

and  remained  on  the  boat.  He  had  been  far  from 
well  lately.  A  spirit  of  unrest  had  seized  him  and 
had  worked  on  both  mind  and  body  to  a  point  where 
he  had  been  of  little  use  to  himself  or  those  about 
him.  He  knew  this  perfectly  and  made  brave  efforts 
to  shake  off  the  depression.  That  face  in  the  gar 
den  haunted  him  day  and  night,  and  he  longed  to  be 
gone  from  the  place  and  follow. 

When  asked  by  Van  he  stated  frankly  that  he  did 
not  feel  at  all  himself  and  thought  the  bracing  air 
of  Assouan  would  help  him.  Van  knew  that  some 
thing,  the  exact  nature  of  which  he  was  ignorant, 
was  sapping  the  spirit,  even  the  life,  of  his  old  friend. 
His  conjecture  and  that  of  Haswell  was  that  he 
was  not  happy  in  his  second  marriage,  but  further 
than  this  general  proposition,  they  were  in  the  dark. 

The  following  morning  found  them  skimming 
along  with  a  favouring  breeze  toward  Komombos. 
Late  in  the  afternoon,  they  were  within  sight  of 
the  propylons  of  Edfoo  temple.  The  sun  was  sink 
ing,  and  the  massive  gateway  had  taken  on  the 
brilliant  purple-pink  colouring  so  characteristic  of 
Egypt.  The  Ammon-Ra  tied  up  at  the  bank,  and 
most  of  the  party  rode  a  mile  inland  to  inspect  the 
grand  old  temple. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

FIVE  days  later,  the  Amnwn-Ra  approached 
Assouan  and  the  first  cataract  of  the  Nile.  The 
night  previous,  they  had  tied  up  near  a  small  vil 
lage  a  few  miles  below,  not  having  been  able  to  push 
on  further  on  account  of  the  failing  wind. 

Almost  as  soon  as  the  sun  had  dissipated  the 
darkness,  Jack  Oswald  was  on  deck,  nervous  and 
excited  at  the  prospect  of  again  coming  in  sight  of 
the  Kinet-el-Nil. 

Selim  had  told  him  that  it  would  be  noon  before 
they  could  hope  to  reach  the  island  of  Elephantine, 
where  all  the  dahabeahs  lay  moored.  Jack  sat  on 
one  of  the  divans  and  gazed  dreamily  at  the  water 
and  shore  as  they  coursed  along,  now  so  close  as 
almost  to  touch,  and  again  following  the  channel 
out  to  midstream. 

On  the  bank  above,  as  they  sailed  slowly  by,  stood 
a  solitary  figure.  A  long  black  gown  enveloped  his 
form.  His  head  was  incased  in  a  snow-white  turban. 
In  front  of  him  lay  a  soft  mat.  His  back  was 
toward  the  river.  He  was  looking  toward  the  grey- 
yellow  hills,  which  separate  the  Nile  Valley  from 
the  Arabian  Desert.  He  was  looking  toward  the 
slowly  rising  sun.  It  was  a  Moslem  at  prayer. 
Suddenly,  with  a  graceful  movement,  he  fell  to  his 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  193 

knees.  His  head  struck  the  mat  in  front,  and  he 
remained  for  some  moments  in  an  attitude  of  entire 
self-abasement.  As  suddenly  again,  and  without 
the  use  of  his  hands,  he  resumed  the  upright  pose 
and  stood  erect.  Again  and  again  he  prostrated 
himself.  At  last  he  gathered  together  his  mat  and 
staff,  and,  with  slow  and  solemn  step  and  mien,  pro 
ceeded  on  his  way.  His  prayer  had  gone  forth  to 
God  and  Mecca.  A  group  of  the  fellaheen,  men, 
women  and  children,  went  trooping  by  on  the  nar 
row  path  at  the  river's  edge.  A  string  of  camels, 
two  or  three  daintily  stepping  donkeys,  and  a  couple 
of  jackal-looking  dogs  accompanied  the  party.  The 
women  were  clothed  in  long,  black  mantles,  reaching 
to  the  ground.  Nothing  was  visible  but  the  eyes. 
Their  feet  were  bare.  One  of  them  descended  to 
the  water's  edge  and  disclosed  her  brown,  sturdy, 
well-shaped  legs.  The  boys  were  romping  along  in 
light  blue  cotton  gowns — their  only  garment;  a  small, 
white,  close-fitting  capote  completing  the  costume. 
It  was  a  family  proceeding  to  the  day's  work  in  the 
field.  As  they  trudged,  they  chanted  some  wild 
Arab  love  song.  The  boys  chased  along  the  bank 
and  shouted,  "  Backsheesh,  backsheesh,  Howadje." 
Jack  did  not  feel  like  talking,  but  during  the 
morning  the  rest  of  the  party  seemed  in  the  best  of 
spirits.  As  they  approached  the  town,  they  noticed 
the  collection  of  white  buildings  along  the  river 
front  to  the  left,  and  the  bugle  note  ringing  out  on 
the  still  air  called  their  attention  to  the  dusky,  red 


194  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

fezzed  soldiers,  on  one  of  the  parade  grounds,  of 
what  is  becoming  Egypt's  formidable  army.  At 
this  moment,  Selim  came  to  Haswell  and  asked  if 
he  could  speak  to  him.  They  both  went  aft,  and 
soon  Haswell  returned. 

"  Jack,  you  ought  to  come  and  see  what  has  hap 
pened,  but  no,  I  will  tell  you.  Do  you  remember 
at  dinner  last  evening,  we  heard  a  sudden  jar  just 
before  we  tied  up.  Well,  the  tiller  broke.  You 
know  it's  that  unwieldy  iron  affair.  They  couldn't 
fix  it.  The  rudder  post  had  gone  down  out  of 
sight  in  its  socket,  so  the  old  pilot  has  kept  a  man 
lashed  down  there  ever  since,  to  obey  orders  as 
regards  port  and  starboard,  with  two  of  those  large 
oars,  also  lashed  to  the  old  rudder.  Selim  says  that 
had  there  been  any  but  a  favourable  breeze,  we 
would  have  been  obliged  to  stay  a  few  miles  below 
here,  until  a  tug  or  steamer  could  have  picked  us 
up." 

"  Why,  he  must  have  been  in  the  water  a  good 
part  of  the  time." 

"  He  was,  but  you  know  it  only  lasted  from  day 
break  until  now." 

They  had  almost  reached  their  mooring.  The 
small  forest  of  masts  indicated  the  location  of  other 
dahabeahs,  and  high  on  the  hill  beyond,  the  old 
fort,  relic  of  the  Soudan  war,  looked  down  upon  the 
town,  a  sullen  reminder  of  the  bloody  past.  As 
they  neared  the  island,  Selim  called  attention  to  a 
bright-coloured,  canopied  boat  which  he  told  them 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  195 

had  just  come  through  the  cataract.  The  Nubian 
boatmen  were  chanting  a  love  song.  The  music 
was  wilder  but  more  harmonious  than  anything 
they  had  yet  heard,  and  seemed  to  fit  the  rugged 
scenery  of  their  surroundings.  They  were  told 
that  all  crews  of  small  boats,  which  are  now  almost 
the  only  ones  to  shoot  the  cataracts,  chant  a  thanks 
giving  at  certain  points  of  the  rapids  which  are  con 
sidered  more  dangerous  than  others. 

They  glided  softly  to  the  bank.  Jack  strained 
his  eyes  in  vain.  He  could  not  see  the  Kinet-el- 
Nil  among  the  half-dozen  boats.  He  turned  to 
Selim,  and  his  question  was  answered  before  being 
asked. 

"  The  Kinet-el-Nil  has  gone  up  to  the  second  cata 
ract,  sir." 

"  Oh,  indeed,"  murmured  Jack,  disappointed. 

"  Haven't  I  read,  Selim,  that  the  great  quarries, 
from  which  the  obelisks  and  statues  were  taken,  are 
near  Assouan  ?  "  asked  Sister  Anne. 

"  Yes,  my  lady,  from  over  there  under  the  look 
out  tower,  and  back  in  the  desert.  You  will  see 
one  obelisk  there  only  half  quarried,  lying  with  two 
sides  shaved  off,  and  the  other  two  still  part  of  the 
rock." 

"  How  interesting  that  must  be.  How  did  they 
split  the  stone,  I  wonder." 

"  Just  as  they  do  to-day — drill  holes  first,  and  then 
drive  in  wooden  wedges  and  pour  water  over  them. 
The  wedges  swell  simultaneously  and  the  rock 


196  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

cleaves  apart,"  explained  Van  Beuren.  "  But  the 
most  marvellous  thing  of  it  all  is  how  they  moved 
them." 

"  I  remember  in  the  tombs  at  Beni-Hassan,  don't 
you,  on  the  walls,  the  picture  of  thousands  of  men 
pulling  a  great  car,  with  a  statue  on  it,  the  overseer 
standing  in  the  front  part  of  the  car  with  a  long 
whip?  "  said  Billie. 

"And  we  must  remember,"  said  Van,  "that 
these  workmen  were  slaves.  In  every  war  in  which 
the  Rameses,  or  Pharaohs,  were  successful,  they 
brought  thousands  of  captives  back,  who  were 
made  slaves  and  forced  to  work  like  beasts  of  the 
field." 

"  Well,  no  matter  how  you  try  to  account  for 
these  gigantic  works,  the  fact  still  remains  that  the 
people  quarried  obelisks  and  other  monoliths, 
weighing  thousands  of  tons  and  miles  from  the 
river's  bank,  carried  them  in  some  way  to  the  bank, 
and  transported  them  by  a  boat,  or  boats,  down  a 
shallow  stream  hundreds  of  miles,  and  then  placed 
them  upright  on  handsome  pedestals,  often  some 
miles  back  from  the  river  again." 

"  I  don't  know,"  quoth  Father  Haswell,  "  that 
any  of  you  are  old  enough  to  remember  what  a  fuss 
was  made  over  Commander  Gorringc  when  he 
brought  our  little  Central  Park  Obelisk  from 
Alexandria.  It  is  a  small  one,  yet  the  bringing  of 
it  safely  to  New  York  was  considered  a  great  piece 
of  engineering." 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  197 

At  luncheon,  which  was  late,  on  account  of  their 
desire  to  remain  on  deck  and  see  the  town  as  they 
approached  it,  Haswell  suggested  that  they  should 
leave  the  boat  the  following  day,  and  take  the 
small  steamer  at  Shelal  above  the  cataract,  and  go 
up  to  Wadi-Halfa. 

"The  Prince  Abbas  leaves  day  after  to-morrow 
morning,  Selim  tells  me.  She  is  not  full  and  we 
would  almost  own  her;  the  whole  trip  can  be  done 
in  six  days." 

"  What  is  there  to  see  above  here  ?  "  asked  Mar 
garet. 

"The  greatest,  or  rather  the  most  marvellous  of 
all  the  temples,  Abou  Simbel.  The  scenery,  too,  is 
quite  different  above  the  cataract.  I  have  never 
been  above  Philae,  so  I  only  speak  from  hearsay." 

Finally,  after  a  talk,  they  decided  to  go  by  the 
little  railroad  to  Shelal  and  visit  Philae  during  the 
day,  sleep  on  the  Abbas,  and  begin  the  ascent  of 
the  river  the  following  morning.  During  luncheon, 
a  row  boat  was  seen  approaching  from  the  town, 
and  in  a  few  moments  Selim  brought  in  a  generous 
assortment  of  mail.  It  was  voted  that  no  one 
should  open  a  letter  until  the  meal  was  over.  This 
decision  hastened  the  repast,  and  over  their  coffee 
they  began  the  delightful  task,  all  too  short,  of 
reading  letters  from  home.  An  exclamation  from 
Haswell  caused  them  to  look  up. 

"  No  bad  news,  Charlie,  I  hope,"  said  Jack. 

"  No,  and  yes  ;  Balford  is  engaged  to  be  married  !  " 


198  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

A  chorus  of  "What,"  and  "I  don't  believe  it," 
and  "  Who  to,"  followed. 

"  He  writes  me,  among  other  things,  '  I  received 
word  in  Cairo  from  New  York,  which  made  it  un 
necessary  to  hurry  back,  so  I  have  been  here  for 
nearly  three  weeks,  and  now  take  pleasure  in  letting 
you  and  all  your  party  know,  that  I  have  fallen 
from  the  high  pedestal  of  bachelorhood  on  which 
you  and  Van  and  I  have  so  long  stood,  like  three 
male  graces  or  scapegraces,  and  have  become  en 
gaged  to  be  married.  You  have  all  met  the  lady, 
Miss  Clinton  the  younger,  Mary  by  name.  We 
expect  to  be  married  in  New  York  in  June,  giving 
you  all  ample  time  to  get  back  and  help  me  out. ' 

While  Haswell  was  reading,  Katherine  sat  with 
hands  clenched,  white  face,  and  flashing  eyes. 

"  I  don't  believe  it,"  she  said  in  a  voice  so 
changed  that  every  one  looked  at  her.  "  If  Mr. 
Balford  had  really  become  engaged,  he  would  have 
written  to  me." 

Haswell  saw  that  the  woman  had  forgotten  her 
self,  and  that  the  situation  was  becoming  embar 
rassing,  so  in  his  cheery  voice  he  remarked  : 

"  Oh,  well,  let  us  all  go  on  deck  ;  we  mustn't  miss 
an  afternoon  like  this." 

Katherine  went  to  her  room  and  was  followed  in 
a  few  moments  by  her  husband.  His  pride  was 
deeply  wounded.  His  wife  had  revealed  her  feeling 
toward  Balford  to  the  whole  company  and  he  felt 
that  he  could  not  let  it  pass  unnoticed.  After 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  199 

knocking,  he  entered  her  stateroom  and  closed  the 
door.  He  thought  he  saw  traces  of  tears  in  her 
eyes. 

"  I  am  very  sorry  that  you  had  so  little  control 
over  your  feelings  as  to  show  to  all  on  board  that 
you  are  still  in  love  with  my  friend  Balford,  Kath- 
erine.  As  long  as  I  am  legally  your  husband,  I 
have  some  feeling,  some  rights,  and  a  scene  like 
that  at  the  table  must  not  occur  again." 

Katherine  did  not  look  at  nor  answer  him,  and, 
a  moment  later,  after  waiting  in  vain  for  some 
shadow  of  repentance  or  remorse,  he  opened  the 
door  and  left  the  room.  He  reached  the  deck  just 
in  time  to  join  a  party  of  four,  Sister  Anne,  Mar 
garet,  Van  and  Billie,  who  were  about  to  cross  the 
river  to  inspect  the  bazaars  of  Assouan. 

Lying  on  the  confines  of  Nubia  and  not  far  from 
the  Soudan,  the  bazaars  at  this  place  are  very  inter 
esting.  The  articles  of  interest  to  the  traveller,  at 
this  day,  are  the  weapons,  many  of  them  spurious, 
but  many  relics  of  the  Dervish  rebellion,  old  flint 
lock  Arabian  pistols,  dervish  and  Bedouin  guns 
and  every  variety  of  sword  and  scimitar.  Then,  too, 
there  are  the  more  primitive  weapons,  spears,  asse 
gais  and  lances,  and  aboriginal  garments  and  orna 
ments,  both  of  shell  and  metal.  The  party  wan 
dered  about  the  bazaars  for  an  hour,  immensely 
interested  in  all  they  saw.  Selim  was  with  them 
and  kept  the  too  importunate  vendors  at  bay  with 
his  short  donkey  whip.  Margaret  bought  some 


200  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

Soudanese  baskets  and  costumes,  and  the  men  in 
dulged  in  some  old  arms  and  instruments.  When 
at  last  they  emerged  from  the  bazaars  and  walked 
over  to  the  clean,  white,  well-kept  little  hotel,  it 
was  a  great  relief  to  their  eyes,  ears  and  noses. 

Selim  made  a  signal  across  the  river,  and  soon 
the  felucca  from  the  Ammon-Ra  appeared,  and  they 
all  returned  to  the  boat.  That  night,  after  all  the 
others  had  gone  below,  Jack  and  Van  sat  smoking 
alone.  Van  had  been  waiting  for  such  an  opportu 
nity  and  now  it  seemed  to  present  itself. 

"  Jack,  old  man,  you  worry  me.  Can't  you  take 
a  brace  ?  I  think  I  understand  part  of  the  situa 
tion." 

"  Van,  I  do  try  ;  I  try  to  do  the  right  thing,  but 
when  a  man  gets  a  facer  like  that  at  lunch,  what  can 
one  do?  " 

"  That  was  a  facer,  sure  enough.  I  had  suspected 
something  of  that  kind.  What  are  you  going  to  do 
about  it?  " 

"  Nothing ;  what  can  I  do  ?  We  may  have  to  live 
apart  when  we  go  back.  This  is  not  the  most 
serious  part  of  it,  however." 

"Why,  Jack,  what  do  you  mean?" 

"  I  mean,"  answered  Jack,  and  he  leaned  closer, 
and  a  distinct  tremor  came  into  his  voice,  "  I  mean 
that  I  believe  that  my  Clare  is  alive  !  " 

Van  started  up  and  gazed  incredulously  at  his 
friend. 

At  the  first  instant,  he    thought    that  Jack  had 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  201 

gone  mad,  then,  quick  as  a  flash,  things  and  events 
crowded  into  his  mind,  and  he  leaped  from  his 
chair  and  began  to  pace  silently  up  and  down  the 
deck.  He  dropped  again  into  the  seat  and  in 
slow  and  changed  voice  said  : 

"  Jack,  am  I  to  understand — " 

"  You  are  to  understand,"  said  Jack  slowly,  and 
interrupting,  "  that  I  believe  that  my  Clare  is  alive 
and  on  board  the  Kinet-el-Nil !  " 

"Good  God,  Jack,  can  it  be  so?" 

"  I  met  her  in  the  Luxor  Gardens.  Van,  I  cannot 
be  wrong,  but  she  did  not  know  me.  I  spoke  to 
her,  begged  and  pled  with  her,  but  she  said  I  was 
mistaken,  she  had  never  seen  me  before.  Oh,  Van, 
I  have  longed  for  death  since  then." 

"  Jack,  let  us  go  slow  and  sift  this  matter.  I  see 
now  why  I  was  so  affected  by  the  sight  of  this 
lady,  for  I,  too,  met  her  in  the  Luxor  Gardens." 

"  How  can  I,  her  husband,  be  mistaken,  Van  ?  It 
is  out  of  the  question.  It  is  only  five  years  ago.  She 
has  changed,  but  not  a  great  deal ;  the  eyes,  the 
voice,  are  just  the  same." 

Then  Van  remembered  what  Haswell  had  told  him 
of  the  conversation  on  board  the  Columbia  the 
night  of  the  illumination.  The  Englishmen  had 
said  that  she  was  an  American,  and  had  some 
mysterious  history,  which  they  themselves  did  not 
know.  It  made  Van's  heart  beat  faster  to  think  of 
it.  Yet  he  could  not  reconcile  many  facts.  Why 
had  she  spurned  Jack,  if  it  was  Clare?  How  could 


202  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

she  have  helped  showing  some  recognition.  He 
remembered  well  the  adoration  she  had  had  for  her 
husband  in  the  old  days.  Even  if  she  had  heard  of 
his  second  marriage,  could  she  control  herself  thus? 
The  friends  sat  long  and  talked,  and  when  they 
parted,  Van  was  as  much  in  the  dark  as  ever  ;  but  he 
had  silently  determined  to  see  the  head  of  the  party 
on  the  Kinet-el-Nil  and  find  out  all  he  could.  He 
felt  that  it  was  his  duty  to  do  so.  He  was  perplexed 
beyond  words.  He  had  started  that  evening  to 
have  a  serious  talk  with  Jack  about  his  relations 
with  Katherine,  which  had  become  so  openly 
strained  that  every  one  noticed  it,  but  this  new 
possibility  was  so  overwhelming,  that  it  swallowed 
up  all  other  thought. 

In  the  morning  they  all  went  to  Philae  by  rail. 
They  took  just  enough  baggage  to  last  them  for  the 
week.  At  the  end  of  the  little  road,  at  the  little 
village  of  El  Shelal,  they  descended  the  bank  and 
got  into  one  of  the  roomy  boats  which  was  waiting 
for  them,  and  they  were  soon  ferried  to  the  island  of 
Philae.  El  Shelal  signifies,  in  Arabic,  "  the  rapids," 
and  the  contrast  of  the  little  hamlet  of  mud  houses 
on  one  side,  and  the  massive  grandeur  of  the  eter 
nal  temples  on  the  other,  was  picturesque  and  im 
pressive.  "  The  Kiosk  of  Trajan  "  or  "  Pharaoh's 
bed  chamber,"  as  it  is  called,  stands  high  on  the 
rocky  shore.  Its  majestic  size  and  perfect  sym 
metry  make  it  one  of  the  finest,  though  not  among 
the  oldest,  of  Egyptian  monuments.  On  one  side 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  203 

is  a  fine  grove  of  drooping  palms,  and,  as  they  ap 
proached,  a  handsome  dahabeah  was  seen  moored  to 
the  pebbly  beach  beneath.  The  temple  could  be 
seen  beyond,  rearing  its  great  propylons  to  the 
skies.  They  spent  the  whole  day  at  Philae.  The 
sky  was,  as  always,  a  sapphire  blue.  No  breath  of 
air  was  stirring.  When  they  reached  the  south  end 
of  the  island,  and  looked  up  the  row  of  colonnades 
toward  the  great  Pylons,  they  could  not  repress  a 
cry  of  wonder  and  delight,  and  when  they  entered 
the  great  temple  of  Isis,  they  were  wonderstruck  at 
the  brilliance  of  the  colouring  of  the  roof  and 
columns,  bright  blue,  green,  reds  and  yellows  min 
gling  in  most  artistic  manner.  In  this  hall  they 
found  an  artist  engaged  in  transferring  a  group  of 
columns  to  his  canvas.  They  fell  into  conversa 
tion  with  him  and  his  wife.  It  transpired  at  once 
that  he  was  an  American  and  the  owner  of  the 
dahabeah  moored  to  the  shore.  Haswell  and  his 
party  were  invited  to  go  on  board  in  the  afternoon, 
and  see  the  pictures  and  have  tea. 

So  they  moved  from  one  hall  to  another,  lost  in 
wonderment  at  the  solid  grandeur  of  the  old  ruin. 
Finally  they  assembled  in  the  Kiosk  of  Trajan 
for  luncheon,  which  had  been  sent  up  from  the 
Ammon-Ra. 

After  luncheon  they  sauntered  off  in  various  di 
rections,  and  Margaret  and  Billie  found  themselves 
sitting  together  on  a  fallen  obelisk,  seemingly  in  the 
relation  of  artist  and  critic,  for  Margaret  had  taken 


204  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

her  sketching  pad  and  Billie  was  giving  his  opinion 
of  her  efforts  very  freely.  Engaged  thus  it  became 
necessary  to  come  quite  close  together,  and  sud 
denly  Billie  put  his  arm  about  her  waist  and  said 
boldly: 

"  Margaret,  will  you  marry  me  when  we  go  back 
to  New  York  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  will ;  now  let  me  finish  my  sketch." 

"  Not  until  we  have  sealed  the  bargain,"  said 
Billie,  and  began  to  seal  it,  but  during  the  process, 
the  head  and  face  of  Sister  Anne  turned  the  corner 
near  by,  and,  with  a  little  frightened  cry  from 
Margaret,  the  lovers  sprang  apart.  The  cry  coming 
from  Sister  Anne  contained  no  suspicion  of  fear. 
It  was  rather  one  of  righteous  indignation  with  a 
flavour  of  scorn  thrown  in. 

"  I  should  like  an  explanation,  Miss  Jones,  if  one 
were  possible,  for  such  unseemly  conduct." 

"  There  is  no  explanation,  Sister  Annc,"tspoke  up 
Billie,  made  brave  and  independent  in  his  great 
happiness.  "  I  was  kissing  Margaret,  that  was  all." 

"  All !  "  gasped  Sister  Anne,  "  and  do  you  call  it 
nothing  to  act  in  a  most  improper  manner  toward  a 
young  woman,  and  in  public,  too." 

"No  one  saw  us  but  Osiris  and  Isis  and  some 
other  of  those  old  gods,  and  they  didn't  say  any 
thing  until  you  came  along  and  spoiled  the  fun." 

"  Miss  Jones,"  spluttered  Sister  Anne  excited  and 
almost  ready  to  faint  with  shame  at  what  she  had 
seen,  "  I  had  thought  differently  of  you.  I  thought 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.          205 

you  were  a  respectable,  self-respecting  girl,  but  now 
my  eyes  are  opened." 

"  Why,  Sister  Anne,  for  I  must  call  you  so  now, 
your  brother  and  I  have  become  engaged,  and  are  to 
be  married  when  we  get  back  to  America.  We  had 
intended  keeping  it  a  secret,  but,  now  that  you 
have  discovered  us,  we  want  you  to  be  our  ally  and 
friend." 

"  To  be  married  !  Why,  you  are  both  too  young 
to  think  of  such  a  thing,"  answered  Sister  Anne, 
slightly  mollified  and  somewhat  flattered  by  their 
enforced  confidence  in  her. 

"  Why,  Sister  Anne,"  cried  Margaret,  "  I  am 
twenty-five  nearly,  and  if  I  go  on  much  longer,  I 
shall  be  called  an  old — I  mean,  I  am  quite  old  enough 
to  marry,  and  Billie  is  a  year  older  at  least." 

Sister  Anne  had  sunk  down  on  a  fallen  pillar,  and 
was  fanning  herself  violently  with  the  pretty  green 
woven  fan  bought  from  one  of  the  little  children  on 
the  bank.  Finally  she  said  : 

"  Well,  it  is  such  a  surprise  and  shock  that  I  must 
think  it  over  prayerfully  before  I  can  decide  what 
to  do." 

"  I  wrote  home  about  it  ten  days  ago,  so  you 
needn't  bother  about  that,  Sister,"  said  Billie. 

This  was  a  slight  prevarication  but  it  served  its 
purpose. 

"  Oh,  that  is  a  great  relief,  for  I  was  thinking  of 
how  I  could  break  the  news  to  Father  and  Mother." 

"  Well,  it  isn't  a  death  or  a  funeral,  Sister,  and  I 


206          AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

am  mighty  happy,"  and  with  that  he  set  another 
impressive  seal  on  Margaret's  burning  cheek. 

"  Well,  where  have  you  been  ?  "  shouted  the  cheery 
Haswell,  as  he  clambered  up  the  rocks  from  the 
other  side.  "  I  have  been  hunting  high  and  low 
for  you,  Miss  Brown-  Aren't  you  all  going  to  call 
on  the  artist  and  his  wife  ?  " 

"  Yes,  is  it  time  to  go  ?  " 

"  Yes,  we  said  about  four,  and  it  is  now  after 
half-past." 

"You  had  better  come,  too,  Billie  and  Margaret," 
said  Sister  Anne,  in  a  significant  manner. 

"  All  right,"  said  Billie  with  cheerful  voice  but 
rueful  face,  and  sotto  voce  to  Margaret,  as  he  helped 
her  down,  "our  fun  is  spoiled  ;  she  has  us  now,  and 
we  shall  never  be  left  alone  if  she  can  prevent  it, 
selfish  old  bird  that  she  is." 

"  Hush,  Billie  ;  we  can  wheedle  her  into  lots  of 
things,  if  we  try  in  the  right  way." 

So  they  descended  the  hill  by  a  flight  of  rough 
steps,  cut  from  the  bank,  and  went  on  board  the  his. 

They  spent  a  delightful  hour  inspecting  the  ar 
tistic  boat  and  the  art  treasures  it  contained.  As 
the  shadows  of  the  Kiosk  were  lengthening  across 
the  river,  they  went  aboard  their  small  boat  and 
were  rowed  to  the  Prince  Abbas,  which  was  to  start 
at  eight  o'clock  the  following  morning  for  Wadi- 
Halfa.  As  Haswell  had  predicted,  they  found  but 
few  passengers  on  board  ;  a  party  of  Germans, 
"personally  conducted,"  eight  or  ten  in  number, 
who,  without  exception,  ate  with  their  knives  and 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.          207 

plunged  their  forks  into  each  and  every  dish  brought 
on  the  table. 

They  sat  at  one  end  of  the  table,  however  ;  an  Aus 
trian  Baron  and  his  wife,  a  Mr.  Harrison,  English, 
and  Herr  Klein,  a  Swiss,  making  up  the  complement 
of  passengers.  Katherine  was  placed  next  to  the 
Baron,  and  immediately  began  a  conversation  with 
him  in  French. 

The  evening  meal  over,  the  party  sat  on  deck  in 
the  moonlight.  They  wondered  at  the  great  change 
in  the  character  of  the  scenery  from  that  just  below. 
Here  all  was  rocky  and  forbidding,  while  below  the 
valley  was  broad,  flat  and  fertile. 

Before  most  of  the  party  were  astir  the  following 
morning,  the  Abbas  cast  off  from  Shelal,  and  soon 
the  island  of  Philae  passed  from  view  at  a  turn  in 
the  stream.  At  breakfast  they  became  a  little 
better  acquainted  with  their  immediate  table  neigh 
bours.  Katherine  continued  her  conversation  with 
the  Baron,  to  the  evident  annoyance  of  the  Baron 
ess,  who  sat  alone,  and  could  have  no  converse  with 
the  knife-swallowing  Germans  below,  and  no  chance 
to  talk  with  her  husband,  who,  on  his  part,  did  not 
notice  his  wife  any  more  than  if  she  had  been  a 
stranger.  There  was  one  character,  however,  on 
board,  who  deserves  more  than  passing  notice. 
This  was  Herr  Klein.  Van  Beuren  had  made  his 
acquaintance  soon  after  they  had  started,  but  this 
was  cemented  into  strong  friendship  before  they 
parted  six  days  later.  Herr  Klein  was  short,  past 
middle  life,  with  grey  hair,  bleary  eyes  and  poor 


jo8  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

complexion.  He  was  an  enthusiast  about  everything. 
His  eyes  would  fill  with  tears  whenever  he  spoke 
of  a  fine  view,  of  a  flower,  or  of  an  operatic  selec 
tion. 

One  day  as  he  sat  near,  Margaret  was  humming 
an  aria  from  one  of  the  operas,  and  immediately 
Herr  Klein  joined  in,  in  his  poor  little  voice,  then 
with  tears  in  his  eyes,  he  exclaimed  : 

"Ach!  I  loaf  that  aria.  I  once  hear  Malten  sing 
him.  I  go  every  night.  I  send  flowers.  I  write 
Malten  I  loaf  her,  and  one  day  I  was  invited  to 
meet  her.  I  go.  I  was  so  excited.  I  say,  '  Madame, 
the  honour  is  too  great,'  so  I  cry,  and  go  away  to 
tell  my  wife." 

Each  day  Herr  Klein  had  one  of  the  crew  in  his 
cabin  for  an  hour,  in  order  to  learn  Arabic.  Then, 
on  landing,  he  would  gather  a  crowd  of  children 
about  him,  give  a  little  backsheesh,  and  try  to  talk 
with  them  in  Arabic.  It  was  most  laughable  to 
see  the  little  savages  helping  Herr  Klein  over  the 
ruins.  One  day  just  as  they  were  leaving  Kalabshe, 
Billie  said  : 

"  Oh,  Herr  Klein,  did  you  see  that  superb  view 
from  the  hill  over  there  ?  " 

"  Ach  !  nein,  was  it  then  so  grand  ?  I  must  see  it. 
I  will  get  the  pilot  to  wait,"  and  with  tears  in  his 
eyes  he  started  down  to  stop  the  boat. 

At  seven  o'clock  one  evening  they  came  to  Abou 
Simbel,  the  grandest  of  all  the  monuments.  The 
sun  had  gone  below  the  hills  and  the  full  moon 
was  just  rising  large  and  yellow. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

"  PASS  me  my  shawl,  Clare,  dear,"  said  Lady 
Wiltshire  to  Clare  Grant,  who  sat  near  her  on  the 
deck  of  the  Kinet-el-Nil. 

"  Yes,  Mother,"  and  the  young  woman  handed 
her  the  light  afghan. 

The  Kinet-el-Nil  had  been  at  Assouan  now  for 
two  days,  and  the  influence  of  Sir  John's  adventur 
ous  spirit  had  caused  them  to  arrange  to  go  up  the 
cataract  and  river  as  far  as  their  time  would  permit. 
They  had  just  entered  the  gateway  to  Nubia  and 
the  Soudan,  and  all  were  on  deck,  Sir  John  and 
Lady  Wiltshire,  Henry  Villiers,  young  Lord  Anners- 
ley  and  Miss  Grant. 

The  men  were  leaning  over  the  side  of  the  boat 
and  the  dragoman  was  pointing  out  the  cartouches 
on  the  rocks,  the  nilometer  at  the  further  end  of  the 
island,  and  the  quarries  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river,  indicated  by  the  rows  of  wedge-shaped  marks 
where  the  huge  pieces  of  granite  had  been  split 
away.  The  breeze  had  sprung  up  lightly  from  the 
south,  and,  it  being  quite  early  in  the  morning,  the 
wrap  asked  for  by  Lady  Wiltshire  was  very  wel 
come.  Lady  Wiltshire  was  one  of  those  whole 
some,  middle-aged  English  women,  whose  personal 
ity  draws  one  instinctively  toward  them.  She  was 


210          AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

nearly  sixty  years  of  age,  yet  a  picture  of  ruddy 
health.  She  wore  the  conventional  white  cap,  and 
her  hair  was  parted  in  the  middle  and  brushed  down 
on  either  side,  almost  concealing  her  ears.  Her  dress 
was  of  black  silk,  and  she  fitted  perfectly  the  pic 
ture  of  the  English  matron  of  John  Leech  of  thirty 
years  ago.  Her  disposition  was  in  keeping  with 
her  sweet  and  kindly  face.  Her  husband,  Sir  John, 
was  a  bluff  hearty  man,  a  type  of  the  English  county 
gentleman.  He  had  been,  up  to  five  years  back, 
plain  John  Wiltshire,  Esquire.  He  had,  however, 
represented  his  borough  twice  in  Parliament,  and, 
having  endowed  a  library  and  hospital  from  moneys 
acquired  in  his  manufacturing  business,  had  been 
knighted.  He  had  a  handsome  country  place  near 
Chippenham  and  was  immensely  popular  at  home. 

Every  one  in  the  country  spoke  of  him  as  "  Sir 
John,"  and,  in  fact,  many  of  the  country  folk  were 
ignorant  as  to  his  last  name.  He  had  for  some 
years  owned  a  large  and  handsome  yacht,  the 
Czarina,  which  he  kept  at  Cowes,  and  in  which  he 
was  accustomed  to  make  more  or  less  extended  trips. 

The  Kinet-el-Nil  slowly  approached  the  island 
called  Sehel.  To  this  place,  the  progress  up  the 
cataract  is  easily  accomplished.  On  the  island,  as 
they  neared  it,  could  be  seen  nearly  a  hundred  half- 
dressed  men  and  boys,  waiting,  under  the  commands 
of  a  sheik,  to  take  charge  of  the  boat  and  pull  and 
pole  her  up  the  rushing  stream.  The  dahabeah 
had  started  early,  in  order  to  accomplish  the 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  211 

passage  of  the  cataract  before  sunset,  for  after  this 
hour,  neither  threats  nor  money  would  avail,  and 
the  boat  would  be  left  wherever  she  might  chance 
to  be. 

From  the  time  of  leaving  Assiut,  weeks  ago,  the 
party  had  been  a  quiet  and  comfortable  one.  The 
men  were  old  and  very  congenial  friends.  Sir  John 
was  much  older  than  Annersley  and  somewhat  the 
senior  of  Henry  Villiers,  but  they  were  all  three 
Oxford  men,  and  had  met  often  at  home,  where 
Annersley  and  Villiers  had  been  guests  at  Laurie 
Hall.  The  two  had  already  met  Miss  Grant,  but 
had  never  become  really  acquainted  with  her.  She 
had  been  introduced  as  Lady  Wiltshire's  compan 
ion,  and,  one  night,  the  year  before,  immediately 
after  dinner,  when  the  ladies  had  retired  and  the 
sweet  soprano  voice  was  wafted  to  them  from  the 
old  baronial  hall,  Villiers  had  asked  Sir  John  who 
she  might  be. 

"  No\v,  Villiers,  you  have  me.  Some  day  I  will 
tell  you  a  very  remarkable  story,  but  not  just  now, 
for  my  wife  and  I  have  decided  to  answer  no  ques 
tions  at  present  on  the  subject." 

"  Why,  Sir  John,  you  puzzle  me.  The  lady  looks 
like  some  fair  goddess  or  mythological  character, 
perhaps  Andromeda  rescued  from  the  Rock,  but, 
to  tell  the  truth,  you  do  not  quite  fill  my  idea  of 
Perseus." 

"  Thanks,  Henry;  now  you  certainly  will  get  no 
information." 


212  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"  How  about  me,  Sir  John?"  quoth  Annersley. 

"Arcades  Ambo,"  laughed  Sir  John. 

So,  when  they  met  again  on  the  Nile,  the  two 
hunters  from  Somaliland  were  no  wiser  than  before. 
They  were  reintroduced,  but,  whereas  Miss  Grant 
was  invariably  amiable  and  always  ready  to  sing 
for  them,  still  there  was  a  settled  quietness  of  de 
meanour,  an  apparent  aversion  to  be  led  into  con 
versation  or  argument,  which  made  her  doubly  in 
teresting.  Her  handsome  face  and  fine  presence 
would  attract  the  eye  anywhere.  Her  reticence, 
her  musical  voice  and  self-contained  manner,  made 
every  one  wish  to  know  her  better.  She  was  an 
excellent  listener,  and  apparently  took  the  deepest 
interest  in  all  the  hunting  stones  and  adventures 
of  young  Annersley.  This  always  flatters  a  man. 
After  a  week  or  two,  Annersley  began  to  think  that 
she  was  interested  in  him,  as  much  as  in  his  stones. 
He  certainly  began  to  be  much  interested  in  her. 
He  did  not  sing  himself,  but  loved  music,  and  when 
ever  he  asked  her  to  play  she  would  do  so. 
He  had  not  yet  asked  for  a  single  ballad,  English, 
French  or  German,  which  she  had  not  at  once  been 
able  to  play  and  sing  for  him,  and  when  she  sang, 
there  was  such  a  heartfelt,  tender  sadness  in  her 
voice,  that  it  almost  brought  tears  to  the  eyes. 
He  unconsciously  became  deeply  interested,  and 
one  day  at  Komombos,  when  Villiers  and  Sir  John 
had  gone  off  quail  shooting,  he  found  Lady  Wilt 
shire  on  deck  alone  and  broached  the  subject  to  her. 


AN   ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  213 

"  Lady  Wiltshire,  I  have  waited  for  such  an  op 
portunity  as  this  to  ask  your  advice,"  he  began,  in 
a  low  voice.  "  You  have  always  been  so  kind  to 
me,  that  I  feel  that  you  like  me,  and  so  I  have  no 
hesitation  in  making  a  confidante  of  you.  I  wish 
to  ask  you  about  Miss  Grant." 

"  Well,  Percy,  what  do  you  wish  to  know  ?  I  am, 
as  you  say,  very  fond  of  you,  and  will  do  a  great 
deal  for  you." 

"  Lady  Wiltshire,  I  have  become  very  much  in- 
terested  in  this  young  woman,  more  so  than  I  have 
cared  to  admit,  but  I  never  seem  to  get  further 
with  her  than  the  most  ordinary  acquaintance.  I 
do  not  understand  her,  and  I  wanted  to  ask  you 
what  you  know  about  her." 

Lady  Wiltshire  sat  quiet  for  some  time.  She 
saw  that  the  young  man  was  much  in  earnest,  and 
she  did  not  know  exactly  what  to  do.  She  could 
see  no  harm,  however,  in  view  of  Annersley's  seri 
ousness,  in  telling  him  what  she  herself  knew,  and 
in  risking  the  displeasure  of  Sir  John.  So  she  be 
gan  : 

"  Percy,  I  will  tell  you  all  that  I  myself  know, 
and  you  can  be  guided  by  what  you  hear.  It  is 
now  just  five  years  since  I  first  saw  Miss  Grant,  as 
we  call  her,  for  this  is  not  her  real  name.  I  do  not 
know  her  name.  Sir  John  and  I  were  cruising  off 
the  Bahamas  in  the  Czarina.  We  were  about 
thirty  miles  from  Nassau,  when,  one  noon,  our  sail 
ing  master  reported  a  deserted  row-boat  some  two 


214  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

miles  away.  Through  the  glass,  \ve  could  all  make 
it  out.  Sir  John  ordered  Scott  to  sail  over  to  it 
and  see  what  it  was.  As  we  came  closer  we  could 
make  out  that  there  was  something  in  the  boat. 
It  might  have  been  a  bundle  of  rags  or  a  human 
body.  Our  surprise  was  only  equalled  by  our  pity 
when  we  ran  alongside  and  they  brought  on  board 
the  living  but  unconscious  body  of  a  beautiful 
young  woman.  The  boat  was  oarless,  her  bow 
stove  in,  and  she  was  a  third  full  of  water.  Of 
course,  we  did  all  we  could  for  the  young  woman. 
There  was  no  name  on  the  boat,  and  but  one  name 
on  the  clothes  of  the  cast-away.  An  embroidered 
'  Clare  '  appeared  on  a  number  of  articles  of  her 
underwear,  but  that  was  all. 

"  She  had  a  cut  and  bruise  on  the  left  side  of  her 
head.  Gradually  she  regained  consciousness,  but 
her  memory  of  what  had  gone  before  was  a  blank. 
In  fact,  she  seemed  like  a  child  in  intellect,  while 
she  was  so  reduced  physically  that  it  was  weeks  and 
weeks  before  she  could  sit  up.  I  took  full  charge 
of  her.  We  ran  into  Havana  and  telegraphed  to 
the  papers  in  both  New  York  and  London,  but 
from  that  day  to  this  we  have  never  discovered  the 
identity  of  Clare.  I  am  not  sorry,  I  must  say,  for  I 
have  learned  to  love  her  as  a  daughter,  and  so  has 
Sir  John.  She  is  without  doubt  an  American,  for 
many  phrases  she  uses  are  peculiar  to  Americans, 
and  her  intonation  is  not  English." 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  215 

Lady  Wiltshire  paused,  and  young  Armersley 
waited  to  hear  the  end  of  the  remarkable  story. 

"  I  have  said  that  Clare  seemed  like  a  child,  and 
so  she  did,  mentally,  but  she  had  lost  none  of  her 
physical  accomplishments,  for,  as  soon  as  she  was 
quite  herself  again,  she  would  sit  at  the  piano  and 
her  fingers  would  run  over  the  keys,  without  her 
knowing,  seemingly,  what  she  was  playing,  and  so 
with  her  voice  ;  she  did  not  use  words  to  fit  the 
music,  but  she  sang  weird  snatches  of  song  appar 
ently  without  knowing  that  she  was  doing  so.  As 
time  went  on  she  developed  most  marvellously. 
Everything  seemed  new  to  her,  yet  now,  five  years 
since  her  life  began,  as  it  were,  she  is  the  peer  of 
any  woman  of  her  age." 

"  Why,  Lady  Wiltshire,  this  all  sounds  to  me  like 
a  fairy  tale.  I  knew  that  there  was  some  deep 
mystery  about  Miss  Grant,  but  this  exceeds  any 
thing  I  have  ever  heard.  Have  you  ever  consulted 
a  specialist  ?  " 

"Yes,  Sir  William  Hosmer  told  us  that  it  was 
not  a  unique  case.  He  says  that  the  accident,  or 
whatever  it  was,  and  the  blow  on  the  head,  must 
have  reacted  on  her  brain,  in  a  manner  to  cause 
loss  of  memory  and  mentality  for  the  time,  that  all 
memory  for  past  events  was  driven  away,  and  that 
she  actually  began  life  again  in  our  boat.  How 
ever,  with  all  her  past  training  and  evident  accom 
plishments,  she  came  back  again,  very  quickly,  to 
her  intellectual  level.  As  far  as  a  return  of  mem- 


216  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

ory  and  a  remembrance  as  to  who  she  was,  and  her 
past  life,  the  doctor  could  prophesy  nothing,  but 
said  there  were  cases  on  record  where  a  second 
severe  mental  shock  had  brought  back  the  memory 
of  past  events,  and  placed  the  patient  exactly  back- 
in  mind  where  he  was  when  the  first  shock  came." 

"  Extraordinary  !  "  ejaculated  Annersley  ;  "but 
tell  me,  Lady  Wiltshire,  have  you  ever  noticed  any 
sign  of  mental  weakness  in  her?  " 

"  Quite  the  reverse,  Percy ;  she  is  extraordinarily 
quick  in  everything.  Her  slight  diffidence  or  em 
barrassment  at  times  is  due,  probably,  to  the  fact 
that  for  the  first  two  and  a  half  years  after  she  came 
to  us,  we  kept  her  very  much  to  ourselves.  She 
was,  during  this  time,  relearning  what  she  had  lost." 

Percy  Annersley  thought  for  a  moment,  and  then 
said : 

"Lady  Wiltshire,  I  will  respect  your  confidence 
in  me  and  never,  except  by  your  permission,  shall  I 
mention  what  you  have  told  me." 

"Very  well,  Percy.  But  see,  there  come  our 
hunters." 

"Well,  what  luck?" 

"  Oh,  we  bowled  over  a  few,  about  forty,  I  think." 

"  Bravo,  but  what  do  the  little  beggars  look  like  ? 
Let  me  see  one.  Little  chaps,  aren't  they?  " 

"  Yes,  but  they  can  fly." 

"Ah,  Miss  Grant,  how  have  you  been  spending 
this  warm  afternoon?"  said  Annersley,  as  Clare 
Grant  appeared. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  217 

"  You  will  think  me  very  lazy,  but  I  have  been 
lying  in  my  stateroom,  reading." 

"  It  must  have  been  a  very  fascinating  book,  to 
have  kept  you  below  deck  on  such  an  afternoon." 

"  It  was  fascinating — Paul  Bourget's  '  Antigone  ' : 
it  is  both  sad  and  interesting." 

"  I  have  not  read  it.  Will  you  let  me  have  it 
when  you  are  through  with  it  ?  " 

"  Certainly.  I  am  through  with  it  now,  and  will 
bring  it  to  you  at  dinner."  .... 

As  the  Kinet-el-Nil  came  close  to  the  island  of 
Sehel,  a  cable  was  thrown  ashore,  and  soon  dozens 
of  half-clothed  Nubians  were  swarming  over  her 
sides ;  two  climbed  the  mast  and  made  fast  a  rope, 
well  up  on  the  stick ;  another  hawser  was  fastened 
at  the  bow,  and,  as  the  horde  of  blacks  started  to 
tow,  they  were  about  equally  divided  on  shore,  in 
the  water  and  on  the  boat,  and  the  din  of  their 
voices  as  they  shouted,  chanted  and  called  upon 
all  the  saints  in  the  calendar,  was  almost  deafening. 

So  the  boat  made  her  way  slowly  up  the  current, 
which  became  swifter  and  more  turbulent  at  every 
fifty  yards.  On  almost  every  rock  stood  a  number 
of  nude  boys,  each  provided  with  a  small  log  of 
wood.  As  the  boat  approached,  the  logs  were 
tossed  into  the  seething  current  and  after  them  the 
boys,  like  so  many  rats.  It  was  wonderful  to  see 
with  what  dexterity  they  would  find  the  logs  and 
use  them.  The  frantic  appeals  for  backsheesh 
were  too  much  for  Sir  John,  who  threw  innumer- 


218          AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

able  piastres  and  sixpences  to  the  dusky  divers. 
Towards  four  o'clock  they  could  see  Philae  in  the 
distance,  and,  at  sundown,  they  were  anchored  off 
Shelal.  The  following  day,  with  favouring  wind, 
they  rushed  up  the  river.  The  transformation  from 
below  to  above  the  first  cataract  of  the  Nile  was  a 
very  sudden  one.  The  river  banks  were  generally 
precipitous  and  rocky,  and  the  rocks  were  not  the 
great  sheer  faces  met  wiih  occasionally  below,  but 
rather  the  broken-up,  Younded  masses  of  brown  and 
black  boulders,  looking  like  the  petrified,  boiled-over 
bubbles  of  a  gigantic  cauldron.  There  \vere  many 
islets  of  the  same  formation,  and  on  them,  where 
soil  had  collected  during  the  inundation,  were 
stunted  trees,  sycamore,  mimosa  and  palms.  The 
small  strips  of  sand  along  the  river  side  were  culti 
vated  in  some  sort  of  way,  and  not  until  they  were 
well  up  toward  Wadi-Halfa  was  there  any  of 
the  luxuriant  vegetation  and  groves  of  trees  seen 
below  Assouan. 

Percy  Annersley,  after  his  confidential  talk  with 
Lad>*  Wiltshire,  was,  more  than  ever,  interested  in 
Clare  Grant.  The  history  of  her  short  life  had  all 
the  flavour  of  romance  and  the  doubt  and  surmise  as 
to  who  she  really  was,  and  what  her  past  had  been, 
invested  her,  to  an  unlimited  degree,  with  mystery 
and  uncertainty.  As  he  found  her  to-uay,  as 
Villiers,  with  whom  he  had  talked,  saw  her,  she  was 
a  superlatively  attrwdive  woman.  Annersley 's 
growing  love  was  so  mingled  with  high  respect  and 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

admiration,  that  it  was  different  from  any  feeling 
he  had  yet  experienced. 

One  night  after  dinner,  Villiers  and  Anncnlcy 
were  walking  along  the  river  bank  smoking: 

"  Remarkable  woman  that,"  *aid  Villien;  "can't 
understand  it  at  all.  1  lave  asked  Wiltshire,  three  or 
four  tinu-s;  always  the  same,  some  mystery, — gad, 
I'd  give  a  five-pound  note  to  know  about  it,  and  I 
am  not  curious  by  nature,  either." 

"  She's  well  born  and  bred,  any  one  can  fee  that," 
aruwercd  Annersley,  who  would  have  cut  off  his 
hand  sooner  than  violate  the  confidence  that  had 
been  placed  in  him. 

*'  If  I  were  not  a  confirmed  old  bachelor,  I  tell 
you,  Percy,  I'd  be  in  danger, and  might  make  a  fool 
of  myself,  for  I  don't  believe  she  is  of  the  marrying 
kind."  .... 

With  favouring  winds,  they  were  able  to  get  at 
far  at  Abou  Simbcl,  but  were  obliged  to  give  up 
Wadi-Hulfa  and  the  second  cataract.  The  Kinrt^t- 
A';/ had  been  chartered  for  two  monthi  only,  and 
even  now  the  dragoman  was  doubtful  whether  he 
could  reach  Cairo  within  the  prescribed  limits. 
Reluctantly  they  turned  their  boat  down  stream. 
On  the  third  day,  about  noon,  they  sighted  the 
Abbas  coming  up.  As  they  neared  each  other, 
there  was  the  usual  dipping  of  flags  and  saluting. 
Those  on  the  Kintt-cl-Nit  waved  to  those  on  the 
Al'bas  and  vice  versa.  Villien  stood  at  the  rail 
with  his  glass.  They  were  passing  quite  close. 


220  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

"  By  Jove,  Percy,  there  is  Haswell  and  all  that 
Ammon-Ra  party  ;  they  must  have  left  their  boat  at 
Assouan." 

"  Jolly  lot  that,  seem  to  enjoy  life,  forever  chaff 
ing  each  other ;  that's  a  habit  with  lots  of  Ameri 
cans." 

One  man  on  the  Abbas  sat  way  forward  of  the 
saloon,  which  was  on  deck.  He  had  looked  for  the 
dahabeah  since  breakfast.  On  the  plea  of  search 
ing  for  crocodiles,  he  had  kept  his  glass  in  use 
almost  unceasingly. 

"Why,  Uncle  Jack,"  said  Margaret  to  him,  once 
during  the  morning,  "  you  don't  look  for  crocodiles 
miles  ahead  ;  they  tell  me  that  they  appear  for  all 
the  world  like  old  logs  lying  against  the  sand  bars." 

"  I  know,"  answered  Jack,  "'  but  I  am  locating 
all  the  log-looking  objects  way  ahead,  for  further 
reference  when  we  come  closer." 

As  they  approached  the  dahabeah,  Jack  could 
hear  his  heart  thump.  He  descried  one  woman's 
figure  on  the  deck,  but  it  was  not  she.  Yet,  even 
as  he  looked,  another  lady  ascended  to  the  deck 
and  seated  herself  near  the  first.  The  boats  were 
almost  abreast.  She  was  passing  away  from  him 
again  !  With  a  strong  effort  he  calmed  himself  and 
gazed.  He  could  see  that  she  was  engaged  in  some 
kind  of  fancy  work.  He  saw  her  look  up  and  smile 
at  some  remark  made  to  her  by  one  of  the  men, 
then  she  walked  over  to  the  rail  and  looked  in 
their  direction.  Was  she  looking  at  him?  He 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  221 

lowered  his  glass  and  gazed,  but  in  a  moment  she 
had  turned  and  had  resumed  her  seat  and  sewing. 
The  Kinet-el-Nil  passed  far  astern,  and  Jack's 
hand  and  glass  fell  listlessly  in  his  lap. 

"  Have  I,"  he  thought,  "committed  sins  heinous 
enough  to  merit  this  slow  torture?  How  much 
longer  must  I  suffer  and  have  this  wound  torn  open 
at  every  turn  ?  " 

Reaction  came  to  him,  however,  and  that  evening 
he  tried  to  be  more  companionable.  He  sat  next 
to  Herr  Klein  at  table,  and  he  told  some  stories 
which  made  the  dear  little  Swiss  both  weep  and 
laugh  at  intervals.  .  .  . 

Moonlight  at  Abou  Simbel  is  an  event  in  one's 
life ;  sunrise  is  wonderful  but  moonlight  is  weird, 
awe-inspiring,  grand.  Go  alone,  fifty  yards  below 
the  entrance,  and  sit  and  look.  The  temple  is  hewn 
from  the  solid  rock  mountain.  The  entrance  is 
guarded  by  four  colossal  statues  of  Rameses,  each 
more  than  sixty  feet  in  height.  The  figures  are 
seated  in  majestic  repose.  In  the  centre,  with  two 
statues  on  either  side,  is  the  entrance.  Above  all  is 
a  sort  of  frieze  in  relief,  extending  the  full  width  of 
the  temple.  The  moon  rises  above  the  Arabian 
hills  directly  opposite  the  faces  of  the  statues.  The 
stillness  is  broken  only  by  the  occasional  cries  of 
the  boatmen,  or  Arab  guides,  or  the  uncanny  cry  of 
the  hyena. 

The  temple  is  not  more  than  fifty  yards  from  the 
silent,  shimmering  river.  Selim  took  his  party, 


222  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

separate  from  the  others,  and  entered  the  portals. 
He  ignited  his  magnesium  wire,  and  a  dozen  giant 
figures,  with  the  face  of  Rameses,  and  the  accoutre 
ments  of  the  God  Osiris,  rose  Aladdin-like  before 
them.  This  was  the  main  hall.  On  either  side 
were  majestic  aisles,  with  brilliantly  coloured  walls, 
showing,  in  excellent  bas  relief,  the  deeds  of  the 
great  King,  on  both  land  and  sea.  Silent,  and  lost 
in  wonder  at  this  work  of  the  hand  of  man,  they 
followed  their  guide.  His  voice  was  all  that  was 
heard,  as  it  resounded  through  the  empty  corridors. 

"  And  all  this  was  hewn  out  of  the  solid  rock, 
these  enormous  halls,  and  side  halls,  and  corridors, 
these  perfect  statues,  sixty  feet  high,  and  this  mar 
vellous  writing  and  drawing — I  can  scarcely  credit 
my  senses  !  "  exclaimed  Haswell. 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  Selim,  "but  you  must  see  it  at 
sunrise,  for  then  you  will  know  how  much  they 
thought  of  in  those  days.  As  the  sun  rises,  it 
shines  for  just  ten  minutes  directly  in  at  the  great 
entrance,  and  lights  the  temple  up  most  beautiful." 

As  they  went  out  again  into  the  moonlight, 
Katherine  remarked  : 

"What  would  one  not  give  now, to  have  seen  one 
day's  ceremony  in  this  place  !  " 

Billie  and  Margaret  climbed  to  the  foot  of  one 
of  the  statues,  and  sat  for  a  few  moments  on  one 
of  Rameses'  great  toes.  Then  they  climbed  labour- 
iously  the  sand  slide,  at  the  right  of  the  temple,  and 
tobogganed  down  on  the  warm,  white  sand. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  223 

The  Abbas  pushed  on  to  Wadi-Halfa  the  follow 
ing  morning.  At  this  uninteresting  place  they  saw 
many  of  the  prisoners  of  the  late  Mahdi  rebellion, 
and  of  the  subsequent  Dervish  uprising.  Every 
prisoner  was  chained.  A  large,  strong  chain  was 
welded  to  both  ankles  and  an  iron  shot  attached. 
The  sight  was  a  most  pitiable  one,  indeed. 

"  It  seems  inhuman,  in  our  enlightened  times,  to 
see  such  cruelty,"  said  Sister  Anne. 

"Ah,  Miss  Brown,  but  have  you  ever  read  Gen. 
Gordon's  letters,  or,  '  Ten  Years  Captivity  in  the 
Mahdi's  Camp,'  or '  Fire  and  Sword  in  the  Soudan  ? ' ' 

"  No,  I  have  not." 

"  Well,  if  you  liad,  you  would  know  that  no  pun 
ishments  could  expiate  the  deeds  of  that  blood 
thirsty  man  and  his  followers." 

"  Yes,  my  lady,"  said  Selim.  "  I  was  in  the  relief 
expedition  to  save  Gen.  Gordon,  and  I  saw  most 
terrible  things.  You  see,  every  now  and  then  here, 
a  prisoner  with  his  foot  gone,  sometimes  both  feet. 
They  were  cut  off  by  the  Mahdi,  or  his  generals, 
for  some  little  mistake  or  disobedience." 

Each  gang  of  prisoners  was  under  an  Arab  sol 
dier,  and  they  were  working  on  the  fort  and  build 
ings  which  were  in  process  of  erection  above  the 
town.  At  short  intervals,  the  Nubian  guard  would 
lash  the  prisoners  over  the  shoulders  with  his  stout 
whip  or  strike  them  with  his  bayonet  or  gun-barrel 
to  expedite  their  movements.  They  were  mostly 
a  scowling,  ill-visaged  lot,  but  now  and  then  a  face 


224  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

of  higher  type  could  be  seen.  One  could  not  but 
wonder  where  they  had  come  from,  what  part  of 
Ethiopia,  or  Abyssinia  or  the  Soudan,  whether  they 
had  fathers,  mothers,  wives  or  children.  They  were 
life  prisoners  and  were  herded  like  cattle. 

The  German  contingent  started  early  on  the  follow 
ing  morning  to  visit  the  second  cataract,  on  donkey 
back,  distant  a  few  miles.  Herr  Klein  started  alone. 
The  Haswell  party  remained  on  board.  It  was  very 
cold.  They  were  in  the  tropics,  but  the  thermome 
ter  did  not  say  so.  Some  days  before,  they  had 
crossed  the  Tropic  of  Cancer.  Billie  insisted,  at 
that  time,  that  he  felt  the  boat  scrape  as  she  went 
over,  and  now  he  asserted,  that,  on  account  of  the 
lowness  of  the  river,  the  boat  had  caught  the  tropic 
and  carried  it  way  south  to  Wadi-Halfa,  hence  the 
chilly  weather! 

The  party  returned  from  Abusir  before  noon,  and 
all  except  Herr  Klein  declared  the  trip  a  failure. 
Herr  Klein,  however,  came  back  with  his  pockets 
filled  with  queer-shaped  volcanic  rocks.  These  he 
distributed  to  the  ladies  of  the  Haswell  party  as 
mementoes.  He  wept  as  he  spoke  of  the  view  he 
had  had  of  the  second  cataract.  At  noon  the  Abbas 
cast  off  and  began  her  journey  down  the  river.  That 
night  they  stopped  at  Abou  Simbel  and  spent  the 
night,  in  order  to  see  the  sunrise  again.  The 
journey  down  was  very  rapid,  and  they  soon  found 
themselves  once  more  at  Shelal  and  Philae.  They 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.          225 

had  already  engaged  a   cataract  boat  to  take  them 
down  the  rapids. 

As  they  drew  in  to  their  landing,  Selim  pointed 
out  the  Kinet-el-Nil  far  below  and  just  entering  the 
swift  water.  Their  baggage  was  sent  on  to  Assouan 
by  the  little  train,  and  at  two  o'clock,  after  eating 
a  last  meal  on  the  Abbas,  they  pushed  off,  and 
started  on  their  two  hours  journey. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

SIR  JOHN  and  Lady  Wiltshire,  with  Clare  Grant, 
Villiers  and  Annersley,  had  left  the  Kinet-el-Nil  to 
be  guided  down  to  Assouan  again,  and  had  also 
hired  a  cataract  boat  in  order  to  have  the  excitement 
of  shooting  the  rapids.  They  had  first  gone  over  to 
Philae  and  explored  its  interesting  precincts,  and 
were  just  descending  the  steep  bank  on  its  opposite 
side,  where  their  boat  was  awaiting  them,  when  the 
Haswell  party  shot  by  the  point  of  the  island. 
Each  boat  was  provided  with  eight  Nubian  boat 
men  and  a  pilot,  or  reis,  and  a  small  boy  whose 
duty  seemed  to  be  to  pick  his  way  up  and  down 
the  sides,  and  with  an  improvised  mallet  keep  the 
oar  pins  pounded  firmly  in  their  sockets.  The 
Wiltshire  party  followed  about  one  hundred  yards 
behind.  As  the  boat,  propelled  by  the  large, 
unwieldy  oars,  approached  the  narrower  part  of 
the  river,  one  realised  the  irresistible  force  of  the 
current. 

"  It  does  not  seem  possible,"  said  Van,  "  that  all 
the  wealth  of  water  one  sees  spread  out  below, 
could  come  through  this  narrow  gorge,  and  yet  the 
Nile  has  no  tributaries." 

"  It  must  be  very  deep  here  to  account  for  it," 
said  Haswell. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.          227 

"  Oh,  listen  to  the  roar  of  the  rapids.  Is  it  quite 
safe,  Selim  ?"  asked  Sister  Anne. 

"  Oh,  yes,  my  lady ;  they  used  to  have  accidents 
sometimes,  long  ago,  when  they  used  very  small 
boats,  but  now  they  are  quite  safe.  Would  you 
like,  sir,"  turning  to  Haswell,  "  to  stop  and  see  the 
men  jump  into  the  rapids?  We  take  this  channel 
to  the  right,  and  it  is  a  little  out  of  our  way." 

"  Oh,  no,  I  don't  believe  it  is  worth  while." 

Now  they  enter  the  dashing  current.  The  men 
ply  their  oars  with  might  and  main,  and  the  old 
reis,  perched  at  the  stern,  looks  like  an  eagle,  as  with 
snapping  eyes  he  watches  the  rocks  and  the  race 
ways  between.  Sometimes  the  bow  is  quite  out  of 
water,  again  it  plunges  down  into  a  maelstrom  of 
surging,  roaring  foam.  The  excitement  is  at  a  high 
pitch.  The  men  are  shouting  and  straining  every 
muscle.  Suddenly,  with  a  snap  like  the  crack  of  a 
pistol,  an  oarlock  gives  way.  The  oarsman  is  precip 
itated  violently  backward  and  striking  his  mate  in 
front,  causes  him  also  to  lose  his  oar.  Before  the 
reis  can  overcome  the  sudden  veering  of  the  boat, 
from  the  loss  of  its  equipoise,  the  current  has  swirled 
the  boat  around,  and  she  is  swinging  first  sidewise, 
then  stern  foremost,  and  shooting  with  fearful  veloc 
ity,  and  unmanageable,  toward  the  rocks.  In  vain 
the  boatmen  attempt  to  ward  off  the  crash.  On 
she  plunges,  and,  with  a  splintering,  tearing  sound, 
she  strikes  a  half-submerged  boulder  stern  on. 
There  are  wild  shrieks  from  the  women  as  the  boat 


228  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

is  pirouetted,  spinning  around.  Katherine  has  been 
sitting  high  on  the  little  covered  space  behind,  in 
order  to  get  the  better  view,  and,  as  the  boat  strikes, 
she  is  hurled  into  the  water.  The  others  cling  to 
the  shattered  craft.  Jack  leaps  to  his  feet  as  his 
wife  disappears.  In  another  second  he  is  over  and 
struggling  manfully  in  the  foaming  torrent  to  reach 
the  poor  woman,  who  is  being  helplessly  tossed  at 
the  mercy  of  the  stream.  A  hundred  yards  below, 
the  water  is  less  rapid  but  Jack's  strength  is  ebbing, 
and  he  has  been  badly  bruised.  A  group  of  boys, 
waiting  to  show  their  dexterity,  were  clustered  on  a 
large  rock  below.  Three  of  them  swim  boldly  out. 
Two  reach  the  floating  object  and  soon  tow  it  with 
difficulty  to  a  little  sand  beach.  Another  tries  to 
help  the  drowning  man,  and  he  too,  exhausted,  is  at 
last  guided  to  a  spot  a  few  yards  further  down. 

As  the  boat  struck,  the  people  of  the  Kinet-cl-Nil 
were  but  a  short  distance  astern.  A  cry  of  horror 
escaped  them,  but  the  reis,  in  loud  commanding 
voice,  bade  his  men  row  and  keep  their  eyes  in  the 
boat.  He  guided  his  craft  toward  the  helpless  but 
floating  boat,  shouting  orders  to  those  left  on  board 
of  her.  He  was  soon  abreast  of  her  but  kept  well 
to  one  side.  His  crew  had  ceased  rowing,  and,  as 
they  came  up  even,  a  rope  was  thrown,  and,  in  a 
moment,  his  eight  stalwart  Nubians  were  rowing 
with  the  energy  of  despair  toward  the  whirling 
eddies  and  smoother  water  against  the  bank,  which 
at  this  point  was  less  precipitous.  As  the  boat 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.          229 

swung  in,  four  of  her  crew  leaped  overboard  and  in 
a  few  seconds  both  boats  were  safely  beached. 

When  Clare  Grant  saw  the  beginning  of  the  catas 
trophe  she  sat  with  pallid  lips  and  face,  grasping 
the  sides  of  her  seat  and  staring.  Then,  as  Oswald 
stood  there  for  that  second,  she  placed  her  hands 
suddenly  to  her  head,  and  then,  as  in  a  flash,  the 
cloud  seemed  to  be  torn  asunder  ;  the  sunshine  of 
memory  flooded  the  innermost  recesses  of  her  soul, 
and,  with  a  shuddering  sob,  and  the  cry,  "  Jack,  my 
husband,"  she  sank  back  and  oblivion  came  to  her. 
In  that  awful  moment  of  excitement,  the  memory  of 
her  past  came  back  to  her  and  she  saw  the  man  she 
knew  to  be  her  husband,  the  Jack  Oswald  of  five 
years  ago,  plunge  into  the  surging  waters  and  disap 
pear.  .  .  . 

There  were  three  patients  to  be  cared  for  when 
the  boats  had  been  made  safe.  The  Englishmen 
were  by  the  side  of  Katherine  Oswald  in  a  moment. 
She  lay  on  the  stony  beach  as  one  dead.  Both  Sir 
John  and  Villiers  had  had  experience  with  cases  of 
drowning,  and  in  a  moment  they  had  raised  the  limp 
body  and  were  trying  to  empty  the  lungs  of  water. 
A  little  brandy  was  forced  down  the  throat,  and 
artificial  respiration  was  resorted  to.  A  fluttering 
pulse  could  be  detected,  and  friction  of  the  surface 
was  tried.  The  sailors  brought  the  canopy  from  the 
uninjured  boat,  and  made  a  cover  from  the  sun's 
fierce  rays.  Sister  Anne  was  in  a  state  of  semi-col 
lapse  ;  but  Margaret  rose  to  the  occasion,  and  gave 


230          AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

orders  to  the  men  in  heroic  fashion.  She  loosened 
the  clothes  from  her  dying  friend  and  rubbed  her 
limbs  with  brandy,  while  Villiers  and  Annersley 
worked  her  arms  above  her  head  and  back  again  to 
try  to  revive  the  spark,  which  seemed  fast  dying  out. 
Meanwhile,  Billie,  Haswell  and  Van  Beuren  had 
rushed  below  some  distance,  to  where  Jack  lay  un 
conscious  but  breathing.  Across  his  head,  over  his 
eyes,  was  an  ugly  gash,  and  an  Arab  boy  was  striv 
ing  to  staunch  the  flow  of  blood  with  a  handful  of 
dry  grass.  They  forced  some  brandy  down  his 
throat,  and,  taking  off  their  coats,  made  a  pillow  for 
his  head.  .  .  . 

As  Clare  Grant  recovered  consciousness,  she  saw 
Lady  Wiltshire  bending  tenderly  over  her.  She 
still  lay  on  the  carpeted  bottom  of  the  boat.  As 
she  stared  up  into  the  kindly  face  looking  down  at 
her,  she  murmured : 

"  Where  is  he  ?     Take  me  to  him.  " 
"Yes,  child,  lie  quiet,  you  are  all  right." 
"  No,  where  is  he  ?     Take    me  to  him,"  and  her 
hand  went  to    her   eyes  as    though  to    hide   some 
dreadful  sight.     Suddenly,  she  raised  herself    forci 
bly  to  a  sitting  posture  and  gazed  wildly  about  her. 
"  Oh,  tell    me    where   he  is !     Is   he    drowned  ? 
Tell   me,"  and    she  grasped   Lady  Wiltshire's  arm 
frantically. 

"  Calm  yourself,  Clare,  dear.  Who  is  it  you  want  ?  " 
said  Lady  Wiltshire,  thinking  the  shock  had  unbal- 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.          231 

anced  her  reasoning  power,  but  wishing  to  humour 
her  if  she  could. 

"  My  husband,  Jack,  Jack  Oswald.  Is  he  dead  ?  " 
she  pleaded. 

"  Mr.  Oswald  was  saved,  dear,"  answered  Lady 
Wiltshire,  now  more  then  ever  convinced  that  her 
ward  had  lost  her  mind. 

"  Oh,  I  must  go  to  him  ;  take  me  to  him,"  and  she 
struggled  to  her  feet. 

Lady  Wiltshire  called  her  husband,  and  he  came 
at  once. 

"  Take  me  to  him,  Sir  John  ;  he  is  my  husband  ;  " 
and  finally  she  became  so  insistent,  that,  supported 
by  Sir  John  and  his  wife,  she  staggered  down  to 
where  Jack  lay.  The  moment  she  saw  him  lying 
there,  she  broke  away  from  them,  and,  throwing 
herself  down  beside  him,  took  his  head  in  her  lap 
and  stroked  his  matted  hair,  kissing  his  forehead 
and  murmuring  tender,  loving  words  to  the  uncon 
scious  man.  As  Van  Beuren  stepped  back  to  make 
room  he  looked  at  her. 

"  God  in  Heaven !  Clare  Oswald !  Jack  was 
right." 

After  a  moment  Jack  slowly  opened  his  eyes  and 
looked  into  those  of  his  wife. 

41  Clare,"  he  murmured,  and  his  heavy  lids  closed 
again.  .  .  . 

They  worked  for  an  hour  over  the  wet,  cold  figure 
of  Katherine,  but  in  vain.  The  pulse  beat  quicker 
and  fainter,  then  stopped,  then  fluttered  for  a  few 


232  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

seconds,  and,  though  they  tried  every  expedient 
suggested,  at  last  they  were  obliged  to  desist,  and 
the  conviction  was  forced  upon  them  that  Kathe- 
rine  Oswald  was  dead.  They  covered  her  body 
with  the  awning  and  left  two  men  on  guard. 

Their  position  now  was  a  difficult  one.  The 
broken  boat  was  useless  for  passengers  and  the  re 
maining  one  too  small  to  hold  them  all.  At  this 
juncture,  Selim  suggested  that  they  should  send 
runners  across  the  narrow  strip  of  land  which  di 
vided  the  right  and  left  channels,  and  try  to  stop 
the  Kinet-el-Nil. 

This  was  done,  and  in  half  an  hour  the  messen 
gers  returned  with  the  news  that  they  had  caught 
the  boat  about  a  mile  below.  Poor  Katherine's 
body  was  gently  lifted  and  placed  on  the  floor  of 
the  small  boat.  Six  men  and  the  reis  were  to  take 
it  down  to  Assouan,  while  Haswell  and  Selim  went 
as  guards.  They  improvised  a  litter  for  Jack,  who 
still  remained  oblivious  to  his  surroundings.  Thus 
the  mournful  party  started  slowly  across  the  rough 
country.  The  boatmen  led  the  way,  and  following 
them  were  four  men  carrying  the  litter.  Then  fol 
lowed  Sir  John  and  Lady  Wiltshire  supporting 
Clare  between  them.  Van  Beuren  with  Sister  Anne, 
Billie  helping  Margaret,  and  Annersley  and  Villiers 
brought  up  the  rear.  They  stumbled  silently  along 
the  narrow  trail.  No  one  spoke.  After  a  full 
hour's  walk,  and  when  the  ladies  were  ready  to 
sink  from  exhaustion,  they  spied  the  masts  of  the 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.          233 

Kinet-el-NU  behind  the  rocks  and  some  distance 
ahead.  After  they  had  got  on  board  with  consider 
able  difficulty,  Jack  was  hurried  to  Villiers's  room 
and  put  to  bed.  He  had  already  developed  a  high 
fever  and  muttered  and  talked  in  most  unintelligi 
ble  fashion.  Clare,  too,  had  been  taken  to  her  room. 
Sir  John  and  Lady  Wiltshire  placed  their  boat  at 
Haswell's  disposal.  Sister  Anne  was  in  a  pitiable 
condition  as  the  result  of  the  nervous  strain,  and 
Lady  Wiltshire  insisted  on  her  taking  some  brandy 
and  ammonia  and  lying  down  in  her  stateroom.  The 
rest  of  the  party  sat  in  the  saloon  and  conversed 
in  subdued  voices  about  the  terrible  catastrophe 
which  had  overtaken  them.  The  startling  recogni 
tion  of  Jack  by  Clare  puzzled  and  amazed  the 
English  party,  and  now,  in  as  few  words  as  possible, 
Van  Beuren  told  them  of  her  former  life.  He 
thought  it  unnecessary  to  go  into  any  explanation 
as  to  why  she  was  travelling  to  Nassau  with  her 
maid  only.  Margaret,  who  had  been  present  at 
Clare's  wedding,  had  never  seen  her  since,  until  to 
day.  She  had  heard  the  companion  of  Lady  Wilt 
shire  spoken  of  a  number  of  times,  generally  in  a 
joking  way,  but  had  paid  no  particular  attention  to 
what  she  had  heard.  She  now  said  that,  had  she 
seen  her  before,  she  would  have  discovered  her 
identity  at  once. 

Altogether,  the  events  of  the  day  had  been  such 
as  no  one  could  look  at  calmly  nor  without  emotion. 
When,  in  the  course  of  an  hour,  the  Kinet-cI-Nil 


234  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

reached  Elephantine,  the  boat  carrying  the  body  of 
Katherine  had  already  arrived.  The  Wiltshires 
insisted  upon  the  ladies  remaining  over  night  on 
their  boat,  and  with  the  exception  of  Sir  John,  the 
men  all  went  over  to  the  Ammon-Ra.  Jack  was  in 
a  raging  fever  and  the  doctor  was  summoned  from 
the  little  hotel.  He  looked  very  grave  and  pro 
nounced  the  trouble  in  all  probability  the  beginning 
of  brain  fever.  He  ordered  ice  from  the  Cook 
tourist  steamer,  just  in  from  Cairo,  and  directed 
that  it  should  be  kept  on  the  patient's  head  con 
stantly.  He  also  enjoined  absolute  quiet.  It  was 
impossible,  he  said,  to  tell  as  yet  exactly  what 
the  trouble  might  be,  but,  from  the  history  of  the 
case,  his  prognosis  must  be  serious.  At  any  rate, 
convalescence  would  be  slow.  He  would  come 
again  in  the  morning  and  bring  the  doctor  of  the 
Cook  boat  with  him.  Haswell  and  Van  Beuren 
were  entrusted  with  the  sad  duty  of  cabling  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lowden,  Katherine's  parents  in 
New  York.  They  also  made  arrangements  for 
a  funeral  service  for  the  following  day,  as  it  seemed 
necessary  that  the  burial  should  take  place  at 
Assouan.  The  body  could  subsequently  be  re 
moved  to  America  if  deemed  advisable.  A  court 
of  enquiry  was  at  once  formed  to  look  into  the 
accident.  The  agent  of  the  Cook  boats  at  Assou 
an  was  extremely  anxious  to  sift  the  matter.  The 
two  old  cataract  reis  were  also  anxious  to  prove 
contributory  negligence  on  the  part  of  the  victim. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.          235 

And  so  a  deep  gloom  fell  upon  the  erstwhile 
merry  party  !  None  of  the  ladies  could  sleep  that 
night,  though  Lady  Wiltshire  had  given  all  of  them 
doses  of  bromide  from  her  private  medicine  chest. 
This  kind-hearted  lady  felt  most  keenly  for  her 
dear  child,  Clare.  She  sat  in  her  dainty  cabin,  and 
holding  her  hand  and  smoothing  her  soft  hair,  won 
dered  if  she  should  soon  lose  her.  She,  childless, 
loved  Clare  as  she  would  have  loved  her  own  daugh 
ter. 

Clare  could  say  nothing  at  first.  She  lay  quite 
still  in  her  little  bed,  and  she  would  pass  her  hand 
now  and  then  over  her  face,  as  if  to  be  sure  of  her 
own  identity,  to  find  whether  she  lay  there  and  not 
some  strange  being  with  her  body. 

Finally,  in  a  low,  almost  frightened  whisper,  as  if 
fearing  a  negative  answer,  she  asked  : 

"Is  it  really  so,  Mother?" 

"  Yes,  dearest,  it  is  really  so.  Now  remember  that 
I  say  that  it  is  all  really  so,  and  you  must  try  to 
sleep." 

With  a  sigh  of  contentment,  the  tired  eyes  closed, 
and  in  a  few  moments  the  regular  respirations  told 
Lady  Wiltshire  that  Clare  was  sleeping,  so  turning 
down  the  lamp  she  noiselessly  closed  the  door  and 
rejoined  the  two  ladies  in  the  main  saloon. 

"Clare  is  sleeping,"  she  said,  "and  I  am  going  to 
let  her  sleep  as  long  as  she  will.  Now,  Miss  Jones, 
won't  you  tell  me  more  about  Clare's  early  life  and 


236  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

her  marriage  ?     I  am,  as  you  may  suppose,  deeply 
interested." 

So  Margaret  went  back  to  Jack's  courtship  and 
marriage,  told  of  Mrs.  Lawrence,  whom  she  be 
lieved  had  died  since  their  departure  from  America, 
told  how  ideal  a  marriage  it  had  been  considered  at 
the  time,  and  what  a  noble  fellow  Jack  Oswald  was. 
Then,  without  any  particulars  suggesting  scandal, 
how  Mrs.  Oswald  had  been  obliged  to  take  a  trip  to 
the  Bahamas  for  her  health,  how  Jack  had  put  her 
in  charge  of  friends,  expecting  to  follow  shortly, 
when  his  business  would  permit.  She  told  of  the 
wreck,  and  how  nothing  had  ever  been  heard  of 
Mrs.  Oswald  or  four  of  the  crew. 

Then  she  told  of  Jack's  somewhat  sudden  mar 
riage  five  years  after,  and  she  added  that  it  had 
not  been  an  entirely  happy  venture,  she  was  afraid. 
Margaret  had  tried  to  put  the  whole  story  in  a  few 
comprehensive  words. 

"  Margaret,    we    must    cable    home,  all  of    us,   I 
think,"  said  Sister  Anne.     "The  papers  will  have 
this  horrible  accident  at  once,  and  I  am   sure  out- 
parents  will  feel  easier  to  hear  direct  from  us." 
"Yes,  we  must  talk  to  the  men  about  that." 
Just  then  Sir  John  came  in  and  said  to  his  wife  : 
"  I  have  telegraphed  to  Cairo,  and  have  arranged 
to  keep  the  boat    two   weeks  over   our  time,    my 
dear;  the  doctor  says  that  it  would  be  very  danger 
ous  to  move  Mr.  Oswald  for  a  week.     I  have  also 
had  a  long  talk  with  the  gentlemen  of  the  Amman- 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.          237 

Rat  and,  when  it  is  thought  advisable  to  start,  we 
will  go  at  the  same  time  and  keep  together  down 
the  river.  In  this  way  we  can  divide  our  forces, 
and  you  ladies  can  be  more  together,  and  we  must 
all  try  to  be  cheerful  and  help  one  another.  How 
is  Clare  doing  ?" 

"  She  is  sleeping  quietly,  John,  and  I  am  not 
going  to  disturb  her." 

On  the  following  afternoon  the  burial  service  of 
the  English  church  was  read  with  solemnity  by  Sir 
John  in  the  saloon  of  the  Ammon-Ra.  All  were 
present,  with  the  exception  of  Lady  Wiltshire, 
Clare  and  Jack.  Then  followed  a  sad  procession  of 
boats  t<o  the  other  side,  below  the  town,  and  finally, 
all  that  remained  on  earth  of  Katherine  Oswald 
was  taken  to  the  little  enclosure,  and,  after  the 
reading  of  the  committal  service,  she  was  placed 
there,  beneath  the  yellow  sands  and  under  a  mi 
mosa  tree,  whose  feathery  foliage  made  the  sun 
fleck  the  ground  with  little  spots  of  brightness. 

A  temporary  white  wooden  cross  was  set  up  to 
mark  the  spot,  and  then  the  party  returned  sadly 
to  their  boats,  where  Margaret  and  Sister  Anne 
were  busy  together  for  some  time  marking  and 
packing  away  the  dead  girl's  belongings. 

Fortunately,  the  ever-present  anxiety  over  the 
two  patients  occupied  their  minds  so  as  to  dim  for 
a  time  the  horrors  of  poor  Katherine's  tragedy. 
The  two  doctors  had  held  a  consultation,  but  it  was 
a  very  non-committal  bulletin  which  they  issued. 


238  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

Jack's  fever  was  not  so  high,  but  his  delirium  was 
still  present  and  he  was  doing  as  well  as  could  be 
expected.  Lady  Wiltshire  was  the  self-constituted 
nurse  in  Clare's  case,  and  her  report  was  more  fa 
vourable.  Clare  was  quite  calm  and  rational,  had 
taken  nourishment  willingly,  and  had  wished  to  talk, 
but  had  been  prevented  with  the  promise  that,  if 
she  continued  to  improve,  she  might  sit  up  and  ask 
questions  in  a  few  days. 

"  I  do  not  propose  to  have  her  excite  herself  or 
become  excited  until  I  feel  that  she  can  without 
danger  bear  what  she  must  soon  hear.  As  she  is 
now,  she  leaves  nothing  to  be  desired." 

"You  are  quite  right,  my  dear,"  said  Sir  John, 
"and  I  can  only  say  to'the  rest  of  you,  who  do  not 
know  my  wife  as  I  do,  that  you  can  find  no  better 
nurse  nor  physician  than  she  this  side  of  Cairo." 

"  I  can  readily  believe  that,  Sir  John,"  said  Van 
Beuren,  "and  I  can  imagine  that  it  might  be  a  real 
pleasure  to  be  ill,  with  such  a  nurse  to  care  for  one." 

"  That  was  most  gallant,  Van,"  said  Haswell,  "and 
I  assure  you,  Lady  Wiltshire,  that  Mr.  Van  Beuren 
is  a  man  of  few  words,  and  what  he  says  he  means." 

"  It  is  very  kind  of  him,  I  am  sure,"  replied  Lady 
Wiltshire. 

The  doctor,  on  the  following  morning,  found  Jack 
much  improved.  His  fever  had  abated  and  his  pulse 
was  stronger.  His  mind  was  still  very  cloudy,  but 
he  no  longer  needed  constant  watching.  For  two 
days  he  had  been  in  a  violent  delirium,  and  it  had 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.          239 

been  necessary  to  restrain  him  a  number  of  times 
for  fear  that  he  might  do  violence  to  himself  or 
those  about  him.  .  .  . 

A  week  had  passed  away  since  the  fatal  accident 
of  El  Shelal.  Jack  Oswald  was  decidedly  better, 
and  the  outlook  was  bright  now  for  a  quick  recovery. 
He  had,  as  yet,  seen  no  one  but  Van  Beuren,  Has- 
well  and  Billie,  who  took  turns  in  watching  him  and 
in  giving  him  his  medicine  and  nourishment.  This 
latter  had  been  of  the  simplest  nature,  and  even  this 
he  had  at  first  refused ;  he  had  therefore  become 
quite  weak  and  emaciated.  He  was  not  allowed  to 
talk,  but  when  he  insisted  on  doing  so,  his  sentences 
were  short,  disjointed  and  devoid  of  coherent  reason 
ing.  Each  day,  however,  showed  improvement,  and 
the  doctor,  after  the  eighth  day,  had  told  Sir  John 
and  Haswell  that  it  would  now  be  safe  for  them  to 
start  on  their  homeward  journey  in  the  way  pre 
viously  suggested.  One  day,  more  than  a  week  after 
the  disaster,  Lady  Wiltshire  was  sitting  in  her  own 
room  with  Clare,  who  had  for  the  first  time  been 
allowed  to  leave  her  cabin.  She  sat  in  an  easy  chair, 
prettily  dressed  in  a  soft  Japanese  Kimono,  with  her 
fair  head  resting  on  the  pillow.  The  day  was  warm 
and  the  windows  were  open,  admitting  the  dry  des 
ert  air,  which  played  all  kind  of  pranks  with  her 
loosely  tied,  wavy  hair.  She  sat  looking  dreamily 
out  over  the  waters,  watching  the  goolah  or  grain- 
laden  boats  floating  down  the  river  or  trying  to 
make  their  slow  headway  against  the  stream. 


24o  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

Lady  Wiltshire,  though  pretending  to  work  at  her 
embroidery,  watched  unnoticed,  with  sad  eyes,  the 
sweet  face  opposite. 

Finally  Clare  turned  her  head  toward  her  friend 
and  said : 

"  May  I  ask  you  something,  Mother?  " 

"Yes,  dear,  but  don't  speak  of  painful  things.  I 
do  not  want  my  girl  to  become  excited,  you  know." 

"  I  will  be  very  good  and  stop  when  you  wish  me 
to.  I  wish  to  know  how  he  is." 

"  He  is  doing  splendidly,  dear.  Every  day  shows 
improvement." 

"  Has  he  asked  for  me?" 

"Yes,  dear;  that  is,  he  talks  of  you  all  the  time, 
but  you  know  he  has  been  very  ill  and  delirious  with 
fever,  but  the  fever  is  gone,  and  he  begins  to  be  ra 
tional  again,  but  it  will  be  some  time  before  he  can 
see  any  one  but  his  nurses." 

"  How  glad  I  am.  You  know  I  love  him  very 
dearly,  Mother.  It  is  all  so  like  a  dream,  but  I  can 
see  him  now  as  he  jumped  bravely  in.  Tell  me, 
Mother,  did  he  save  her?" 

"  No,  dear,  he  could  not  save  her." 

"Then  she  is  dead!  Oh,  how  dreadful!  Poor 
thing!  Do  you  know  who  she  was?  " 

"  Yes,  dear,  but  I  think  you  had  better  not  talk 
any  more,  until  you  are  a  little  stronger." 

"  Yes,  I  know,  dear,  but  I  have  had  such  a  strange 
dream,  and — but  I  will  be  good,  and  you  will  tell 
me  all  about  it  to-morrow,  won't  you  ?  " 


AN   ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.          241 

"  Yes,  dear,  if  you  will  get  very  strong." 

"And  I  want  to  see  Mr.  Van  Beuren  and  Mr. 
Haswell  and  Miss  Jones  ;  I  used  to  know  them  all 
long  ago,  long,  long  ago  it  seems.  How  strange  it 
all  is !  I  have  been  in  a  long  sleep,  have  I  not  ?  " 

"  Now,  Clare,  you  are  not  being  good,  and  I  have 
a  good  mind  to  punish  you  by  not  allowing  you  to 
have  the  quail  I  ordered  for  your  dinner.  In  a  very 
few  days  I  shall  hope  you  may  be  able  to  join  us  all 
on  deck  and  everywhere." 

"Oh,  that  will  be  fine!  I  am  feeling  almost 
happy  now." 

"  Dear  little  Clare,"  and  Lady  Wiltshire  kissed 
her  tenderly.  .  .  . 

"  Didn't  I  tell  you  there  was  some  great  mystery 
about  it  all,"  said  Villiers  to  Annersley  one  evening. 

"  Yes,  you  did,  but,  Mon  Dieu,  who  could  have 
thought  of  this!  It's  one  of  those  unheard-of  cases, 
and  they  tell  me  she  was  Oswald's  wife  five  years 
ago." 

"  There  is  a  great  deal  that  I  don't  understand 
yet,  perhaps  never  will,  but  as  you  say,  it  is  a  ro 
mantic  tragedy  as  it  stands." 

"  Hard  thing  to  say,  but  it  looks  as  if  it  were  lucky 
that  the  other  was  lost." 

"  Yes,  if  this  recognition  had  taken  place  without 
the  tragic  ending,  where  and  what  would  have  been 
her  position  ?  " 

"  It  is  incredible  !  I  never  would  have  believed 
it  if  it  hadn't  happened  under  our  eyes." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

A  FEW  days  had  passed  since  the  conversation 
between  Clare  and  Lady  Wiltshire.  They  had 
been  floating  down  the  river  now  for  nearly  a 
week.  The  boats  made  slow  progress.  When  the 
boatmen  rowed  with  their  long  clumsy  sweeps,  they 
could  make  four  or  five  miles  an  hour,  but  when 
they  stopped,  the  dahabeahs  would  swing  around 
and  float  sidewise  or  with  stern  foremost.  They 
prayed  for  a  southerly  breeze,  but  in  vain.  The 
day  came  when  it  had  been  promised  that  Clare 
should  go  on  deck  and  meet  the  Ammon-Ra  people. 
She  felt  quite  strong  now,  and  when  they  had  ar 
ranged  a  chair  for  her  with  lots  of  pillows,  in  one 
corner  of  the  canopied  deck,  Sir  John  went  below 
to  escort  her  up.  All  from  the  Ammon-Ra,  the  two 
ladies,  with  Van  Beuren,  Haswell  and  Billie,  had 
come  over  from  their  boat,  which  was  floating  down 
near  the  Kinet-el-Nil. 

It  had  been  agreed  that  they  should  be  as  jolly 
as  they  could,  and  to  make  no  reference  to  the  ac 
cident.  Billie  had  brought  his  guitar,  and  was 
playing  some  old  plantation  melodies,  as  Sir  John, 
with  Clare  on  his  arm,  appeared.  Clare  was  dressed 
in  a  pretty  white  sailor  costume,  with  white  sailor 
hat,  and  she  looked  quite  like  the  Clare  Oswald  of 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  243 

five  years  ago  to  Van  Beuren,  as  he  stepped  for 
ward  to  greet  her. 

"Why,  Mrs.  Oswald,  I  am  delighted  to  see  you 
again  ;  you  have  changed  very  little." 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Van  Beuren,"  said  Clare,  as 
she  grasped  the  proffered  hand  ;  "  how  delightful  to 
meet  again,  and  there  are  Mr.  Haswell  and  Miss 
Jones." 

Billie  and  Sister  Anne  were  presented.  Clare  re 
membered  having  seen  them  in  New  York,  but  had 
never  known  them  in  the  old  days. 

The  excitement  of  it  all  had  given  Clare  a  pretty 
colour,  and  her  bright,  happy  eyes  showed  a  keen  en 
joyment  at  the  meeting  of  her  old  friends.  They 
sat  and  chatted  for  a  half  hour  about  the  old  days 
in  New  York,  but  no  reference  was  made  to  Jack 
or  Katherine,  and  another  day  passed  without 
Clare's  knowing  that  her  husband  had  made  a  sec 
ond  marriage.  This  was  in  accordance,  first  with 
the  firm  request  of  Lady  Wiltshire  to  Clare,  who 
had  promised  to  ask  no  questions  about  the  past, 
and  secondly,  in  accordance  with  the  request  of  Sir 
John  to  his  guests  before  Clare's  appearance. 

Jack  lay  in  his  cabin  below  at  the  time,  talking 
with  Annersley,  to  whom  he  had  taken  a  great 
fancy.  He  was  so  far  recovered  that,  barring  his 
great  weakness,  he  was  quite  himself  again.  He 
had  been  allowed  to  see  all  the  men  of  the  party, 
and  now  he  was  telling  young  Annersley  about 
Clare  and  his  marriage,  and  her  strange  disappear- 


244  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

ance.  Jack  had  already  been  told  by  Van  the 
story  in  all  its  details  of  the  finding  of  C^re  in  the 
open  boat. 

Jack  was  happy,  very  happy.  He  could  not  help 
it.  He  put  aside  the  gloomy  part  of  the  picture. 
He  had  for  days  been  begging  that  he  might  see 
Clare,  and  had  been  promised  that  it  would  be  very 
soon.  Annersley  told  him  how  well  she  was,  and 
that  they  were  holding  a  great  reception  on  deck  at 
the  time.  Jack  was  delighted. 

"  Isn't  she  a  magnificent  woman,  Annersley?" 

"  Yes,  indeed,  Oswald  ;  you  are  a  very  lucky  man 
to  have  a  wife  like  Mrs.  Oswald,  and,  by  the  way,  I 
think  both  Villiers  and  I  were  more  than  half  in 
love  with  her,  so  your  popping  up,  as  you  did,  may 
have  saved  bloodshed." 

Just  then  Van  Beuren  appeared  and  told  An 
nersley  that  he  was  wanted  on  deck,  so  the  old 
friends  were  left  together  for  a  time.  After  a  little 
desultory  talk  Van  said  : 

"  Oh,  Jack,  I  want  to  say  something  to  you  be 
fore  you  see  Clare." 

"  Well,  what  is  it  ?  " 

"  You  know  she  is,  up  to  this  time,  ignorant  of 
the  fact  that  you  married  again." 

"  I  have  thought  of  that,  Van,"  answered  Jack  in 
a  troubled  voice,  "and  want  to  ask  you  what  you 
advise  about  it." 

"  It  will  certainly  be  a  great  shock,  Jack,  but  if 
she  is  told  in  the  right  way,  she  will  see  it  rightly. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  245 

Sir  John  thinks  that  I  should  tell  her  the  whole 
story.  I  am  sure,  from  my  heart,  that  I  want  to 
smooth  out  this  last  obstacle  to  the  happy  ending 
of  your  troubles,  but  I  do  not  think  that  I  am  the 
best  person." 

"  Yes,  you  are,  dear  old  boy.  Clare  has  always 
thought  the  world  of  you  and  you  have  been  our 
best  friend.  I  will  trust  you  now." 

"You  must  remember,  too,  Jack,  that  you  will 
have  to  be  married  again,  at  least  it  seems  so  to  us, 
and  until  then  you  two  are  or\\y  Jianct'c,  as  it  were." 

"  I  agree  to  anything,"  answered  Jack  after  a 
moment's  reflection.  "  I  am  in  the  hands  of  my 
friends  and  shall  follow  their  advice." 

"  Well,  Jack,  I  will  then,  as  soon  as  it  is  deemed 
advisable,  see  Clare  and  have  a  long  talk.  It  should 
be  done,  I  think,  before  you  see  her  again,  don't 
you  ?  " 

''Yes,  Van,  I  suppose  so,  but  you  must  know 
that  I  am  simply  living  that  the  time  may  come 
when  Clare  and  I  can  begin  our  life  again." 

"  I  will  talk  with  her  to-day  if  Lady  Wiltshire  is 
willing." 

So  the  friends  chatted  together,  and  soon  they 
heard  the  party  on  deck  breaking  up,  then  Billic 
appeared  to  say  good-bye  to  Jack,  and  Van  Beuren 
left  them  and  went  on  deck.  The  latter  excused 
himself  from  going  back  to  the  Ammon-Ra  with  the 
others,  and,  on  the  plea  of  wanting  to  see  a  little 
more  of  his  friend  Oswald,  asked  Sir  John  to  send 


246          AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

him  over  later.     The  balance  of  the  party  returned 
to  their  boat. 

Van  Beuren  sought  Lady  Wiltshire  and  said  to 
her: 

"  You  know,  Lady  Wiltshire,  that  we  cannot  keep 
them  apart  much  longer,  now  that  Mr.  Oswald  is  so 
well,  and  I  will,  if  you  have  no  objection,  prepare 
Mrs.  Oswald  for  her  interview,  and  tell  her  all  that 
I  know  of  Jack's  life  since  they  were  separated. 
This  is  Sir  John's  proposal,  as  you  perhaps  know." 

"Yes,  Mr.  Van  Beuren,  I  agree  with  Sir  John 
and  you,  but  I  must  see  Clare  first  and  decide 
whether  to-day  is  the  best  time.  If  you  will  stop 
here  for  a  few  moments,  I  will  be  back  directly." 

Van  went  over  to  where  Sir  John  and  Villiers 
were  sitting.  They  were  talking  about  the  relative 
speed  of  the  Kinet-el-Nil and  the  Ammon-Ra,  Soon 
Lady  Wiltshire  re-appeared  and  at  a  signal  Van 
Beuren  joined  her. 

"  I  think  you  had  better  go  now  and  talk  to 
Clare.  She  is  in  my  room  way  aft  and  is  expecting 
you." 

Van  went  below  and  a  pleasant  "  Come  in  "  an 
swered  his  knock  at  the  door  of  Lady  Wiltshire's 
spacious  cabin.  He  began  at  once. 

"  Mrs.  Oswald,  I  wish  to  have  a  little  talk  with 
you  before  you  see  Jack  again." 

"Yes,"  said  Clare,  in  a  little  questioning,  sur 
prised  voice,  and  feeling  that  something  unpleasant 
was  coming. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  247 

"  You  know  that  when  you  parted  five  years  ago, 
there  was  some  misunderstanding  between  you,  but 
after  you  had  sailed,  this  was  all  cleared  up.  I  my 
self  have  proofs  that  Jack  was  falsely  accused." 

"  I  know,"  answered  Clare  quickly,  "  that  it  was 
all  a  terrible  lie ;  I  do  not  wish  any  other  proof 
than  what  my  heart  tells  me  now." 

"Well,  the  months  and  years  went  by  and  Jack 
continued  to  live  an  automatic,  mechanical  kind  of 
an  existence.  He  took  no  interest  in  anything. 
After  a  long  time  we,  his  friends,  urged  him  to 
marry  again." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  interrupted  Clare  in  a  quivering 
voice ;  "  I  have  felt  it ;  do  not  go  further,  but  tell 
me,  did  he  marry  and  is  she  alive  ?  " 

"  Yes,  he  did  marry,  but  she  is  dead.  She  was 
drowned  in  the  cataract  the  other  day." 

"Good  Heavens!"  cried  Clare,  "  can  this  be 
true  ? "  Clare  was  gazing  with  great,  wondering 
eyes  at  Van  Beuren,  who  hurried  on  : — 

"Yes,  and  I  will,  I  must  say  to  you  at  once,  that 
this  alliance  was  a  great  mistake.  She  did  not  love 
him,  and  he  had  lost  any  affection  he  may  have  had 
for  her.  He  was  very  unhappy,  and  we,  who  had 
urged  him  to  it,  felt  all  the  more  keenly  for  him. 
I  hope  and  pray  that  you  will  see  this  in  the  light 
that  I  do,  and  remember  that,  had  you  really  been 
lost,  and  could  you  have  looked  back  and  advised, 
you  would  have  said  :  '  If  it  will  make  him  happier, 
I  hope  heVill  marry  again.' " 


248  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

Van  Beuren  paused.  He  felt  that  he  had  not 
said  enough,  nor  put  his  words  in  the  best  shape, 
but  he  had  been  very  nervous  from  the  start  as  to 
the  effect  of  his  announcement.  Finally  Clare, 
after  sitting  for  some  moments,  rose  and  walked  to 
the  xvindow  at  the  side  of  the  stateroom  and  looked 
out.  Van  Beuren  saw  the  great  tears  roll  down 
her  soft  cheeks  unheeded.  A  great  pity  came  over 
him. 

"  Clare,"  and  he  called  her  by  her  first  name  for 
the  first  time,  "  Clare,  I  know  that  this  is  a  shock,  a 
very  serious  shock,  to  you,  but  I  wish  to  say  that 
Jack  Oswald  has  always  loved  you.  He  worshipped 
you  alive,  and  cherished  your  memory  when  he 
thought  you  gone,  as  something  too  holy  and 
sacred  to  be  spoken  of.  He  is  my  most  intimate 
friend,  and  I  assure  you,  that  the  mainspring  of  his 
existence,  since  you  went  from  his  life,  has  been 
his  memory  of  you,  and  the  pure  love  you  gave 
him." 

Clare  turned,  and  with  swimming  eyes,  looked  at 
Van  Beuren ;  then  she  held  out  her  hand  to  him. 
He  took  it,  and  holding  it  said  : 

"  It  will  be  all  right,  Clare,  will  it  not?" 

He  felt  that  if  he  stayed  longer,  he,  too,  would 
break  down,  and,  as  she  sank  into  her  seat  and  with 
a  poor  little  sob,  said : 

"  Yes,  I  think  so  " — he  made  a  bolt  for  the  door 
and  the  deck. 

In  the  saloon  Lady  Wiltshire  met  him. 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.  249 

"Well,  Mr.  Van  Beuren,  how  did  she  take  it?" 

"  Rather  hard,  I  fear,  but  perhaps,  when  she  has 
had  her  cry,  she  will  feel  better." 

"  Poor  little  bird,  what  a  life  she  has  had,  but  I 
believe  the  clouds  have  broken  and  sunshine  is 
struggling  through." 

"  I  do,  too,  Lady  Wiltshire.  She  loves  Jack  and, 
though  this  is  a  hard  blow,  I  think  she  will  not  be 
the  worse  for  it.  I  have  wondered  whether  she 
ought  to  have  been  told,  but  of  course  she  would 
have  known  it  very  soon  in  any  event." 

"  Is  her  mother  living,  Mr.  Van  Beuren  ?" 

"  No,  I  have  heard  from  America  that  she  died 
shortly  after  our  departure  last  fall.  I  have  said  to 
Haswell  that  it  might  be  dangerous  to  tell  Clare  of 
this  at  present.  Mrs.  Lawrence  has  been  a  con 
firmed  invalid  for  some  years,  in  fact,  ever  since 
her  daughter  disappeared,  with  heart  trouble  or 
something  of  the  sort,  and  I  am  now  in  great  doubt 
as  to  what  to  do.  Clare  has  a  number  of  near 
relatives,  however,  and  I  shall  urge  Mr.  Haswell  to 
communicate  with  them  and  tell  them,  or  perhaps 
wait  until  he  returns.  In  short,  I  am  in  a  quandary." 

"It  is  a  difficult  question.  One  of  the  first  things 
Clare  asked  me  was  about  her  mother,  and  I  told 
her  I  would  find  out  about  her  as  soon  as  I  could, 
and  that  she  must  be  prepared  to  hear  anything, 
but  just  now  we  must  think  only  of  those  near  and 
dear  to  us  and  who  need  our  attention." 

Van  told  Lady  Wiltshire,  in  a  few  words,  what 


250          AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

he  had  said  to  Clare  and,  after  he  had  left  the  boat, 
she  went  in  to  see  her.  She  found  her  curled  up  in 
her  chair  asleep,  so  she  threw  a  light  wrap  over  her 
and  left  her  there. 

Clare  had  expected  to  come  to  dinner  for  the 
first  time  that  evening,  but  when  she  awoke  she 
was  so  unstrung  that  Lady  Wiltshire  thought  she 
had  better  take  her  meal  in  her  stateroom,  where 
she  was.  There  the  two  had  their  dinner  together, 
and  Lady  Wiltshire  made  Clare  laugh  more  than 
once,  by  telling  her  stories  of  her  quaint  experiences 
in  China  and  Japan. 

On  the  following  day,  Clare  and  Lady  Wiltshire 
had  a  long  talk,  the  result  of  which  was,  that  Clare 
was  to  be  allowed  to  see  Jack.  Lady  Wiltshire 
also  took  the  opportunity  of  telling  Clare  of  her 
mother's  death.  Clare  received  the  news  calmly, 
though  she  cried  a  little  as  she  told  her  benefactress 
what  a  devoted  and  unselfish  mother  Mrs.  Law 
rence  had  been.  She  said  : 

"This  has  changed  it  all.  Before  I  saw  Mr.  Van 
Beuren  I  thought  I  was  Jack's  wife,  but  now  I  can 
not  feel  that  I  am,  and,  though  I  love  him  as  well  as 
ever,  yet  this  terrible  shadow  will  always  come  be 
tween  us  and  I  feel  that  by  and  by  we  must  be 
married  again."  ....  Three  weeks  later,  the  Am- 
mon-Ra  and  Kinet-el-Nil  spent  the  night  at  Assiut. 
They  had  scarcely  made  fast  to  the  shore,  when  a 
tall,  handsome  man,  guided  by  an  Arab  Effendi, 
was  seen  descending  the  steep  bank  toward  the 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.          251 

boats.  The  two  dahabeahs  were  tied  up  side  by 
side,  and  all  were  on  deck.  Jack  and  Clare  were 
engrossed  in  a  game  of  backgammon,  and,  as 
Annersley,  looking  over  the  rail,  called  out : 

"  What  a  good-looking  chap  that  is  coming  down 
to  the  boat ;  he  doesn't  look  like  one  of  Cook's 
agents,"  Jack  looked  over  the  side,  and  then,  leap 
ing  to  his  feet,  and  scattering  the  men  hopelessly 
over  the  board,  called  out : 

"  Hello,  Ernest,  you  dear  old  boy.  How  are 
you?" 

"  Hello,  Jack.  By  Jove  !  How  well  you  are  look 
ing." 

A  moment  later  the  friends  were  embracing  each 
other  with  great  fervor.  Meanwhile  Clare  had  gone 
below  to  allow  the  old  friends  a  few  moments  alone. 

"  Why,  where  did  you  drop  from,  Ernest  ?  "  asked 
Haswell. 

"  I  came  up  from  Cairo  by  train  to  meet  you,  and 
if  I  am  invited,  will  sail  back  with  you,"  answered 
Balford. 

"  Do  you  want  a  written  invitation  ?  "  asked  Jack. 

"No,  word  of  mouth  will  do,  if  I  have  witnesses." 

"  Then  you  are  one  of  us,"  said  Haswell. 

That  night  they  had  a  very  jolly  dinner.  Prob 
ably,  during  the  meal,  each  one  gave  a  thought  to  the 
little  yellow  grave  under  the  mimosa  tree,  way  off 
at  Assouan,  but  the  human  heart  and  mind  are 
easily  diverted  from  pain,  and  their  present  happi 
ness  obscured  all  else  for  the  time  being.  Only 


252          AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

afterwards  when  Balford,  Van  Beuren  and  Billie  sat 
alone,  was  the  subject  brought  up  and  the  details 
of  the  tragedy  repeated.  .  .  . 

In  ten  days  they  were  all  in  Cairo.  On  the  way 
down  from  Assiut,  Haswell  had  urged  the  English 
party  to  become  his  guests  on  the  Ailsa  from  Alex 
andria  to  Brindisi,  and  they  had  accepted.  Balford 
had  agreed  to  return  to  New  York  via  Europe  with 
the  Clintons.  The  Carter  party  had  returned  to 
Cairo,  and  had  gone  on  to  Palestine,  but  letters  left 
at  Cook  &  Son's  for  the  Ammon-Ra  party  contained 
the  information  that  they  would  all  meet  somewhere 
in  Europe.  Dr.  Van  Rennsalaer  had  written  a 
congratulatory  letter  to  Margaret,  in  which  he 
stigmatized  Billie  as  a  very  lucky  devil.  .  .  . 

On  the  morning  of  the  twenty-eighth  of  March, 
the  Ailsa,  which  had  been  completely  overhauled, 
sailed  away  from  Egypt  bearing  a  very  contented 
party.  Five  days  later  they  passed  into  the  land 
locked  harbour  of  Brindisi.  Here  the  party  broke 
up.  Sir  John  and  Lady  Wiltshire,  Annersley  and 
Villiers,  Jack  and  Clare,  went  direct  to  London  by 
the  transcontinental  mail. 

It  had  been  arranged  that  Jack  and  Clare  should 
be  quietly  married,  early  in  April,  in  the  little  chapel 
at  Chippenham,  and  sail  at  once  for  America.  Billie 
and  Margaret  were  to  be  married  after  they  had  re 
turned  to  New  York  and  had  received  parental 
sanction.  The  Ailsa  was  to  work  around  to  South 
ampton,  where  the  party  would  leave  her  and  return 


AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY.          253 

by  the  American  Line.  Jack  and  Clare  would  try 
to  join  them  on  the  same  boat.  .  .  . 

The  bell  of  the  little  brown  church  at  Rye  on  Long 
Island  Sound  was  clanging  out  its  noisy  welcome.  It 
was  the  first  day  of  June.  The  train  had  just  pulled 
out  of  the  pretty  station,  and  a  stream  of  well- 
dressed  people  were  walking  down  the  platform. 
They  all  seemed  to  be  acquainted.  As  they  got 
into  the  smart-looking  traps  waiting  for  them,  Van 
Beuren  hurried  up,  gorgeous  in  frock  coat  and  high 
hat,  and  there  were  many  handshakings  and  greet 
ings. 

"  It's  only  a  little  way  ;  you  can  walk  if  you  please. 
That's  the  bell  of  the  little  church  you  hear.  It's 
not  much  bigger  than  a  toy  house,  just  the  place  for 
Margaret  and  Billie  to  be  married  in." 

The  air  was  redolent  with  the  perfume  of  lilacs, 
and,  as  they  passed,  they  caught  glimpses  of  the 
bright  green  lawns  and  pretty  summer  residences. 
As  they  drove  up  to  the  church  entrance,  the  happy 
bridegroom  rushed  forward  and  greeted  them  and 
helped  Clare  to  alight. 

"  It's  very  unconventional,  I  know,"  he  said,  "  but 
I  couldn't  help  it,  and  I  know  Margaret  won't 
blame  me." .... 

An  hour  later,  they  were  all  wishing  the  newly 
made  couple  all  manner  of  good  things,  and  the 
Jones'  country  place  resounded  with  the  laughter 
of  a  hundred  voices.  Dr.  Van  confessed  to  the 
bride  that  he  would  never  recover  from  the  shock 


254  AN  ECLIPSE  OF  MEMORY. 

received  upon  first  hearing  of  the  engagement,  and, 
upon  Billie's  assuring  him  that  there  were  just  as 
good  fish  in  the  sea  as  had  ever  been  taken  out  of 
it,  he  answered,  very  gallantly,  that  he  didn't  believe 
it.  ... 

As  Jack  sat  that  evening  on  the  spacious  verandah 
of  their  cottage  at  Rockaway,  Clare  came  over  to 
him.  She  was  dressed  in  a  simple  white  lawn,  with 
just  a  bit  of  colour  at  the  neck  and  waist.  She  sat 
for  a  moment  on  the  arm  of  his  chair.  The  wealth 
of  honeysuckle  behind  made  a  fitting  background 
for  the  picture.  She  looked  down  into  his  eyes. 
He  had  laid  aside  his  paper,  and  leaning  his  head 
back,  looked  into  hers  with  a  gaze  of  perfect 
content. 


THE  END. 


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Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


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